Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/13/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Basic Requirements:

• A
• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in accounting
• or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting
• The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law
• (The term "accounting" means "accounting and/or auditing" in this standard
• Similarly, "accountant" should be interpreted, generally, as "accountant and/or auditor.") OR, B
• Combination of education and experience, which includes: at least 4 years of experience in accounting, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge
• Your background must also include one of the following: (1) Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality
• This can include up to 6 hours of business law, OR, (2) A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination
• (COPY OF CERTIFICATE REQUIRED) OR, (3) Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement above, provided that: (1) you have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining
• (2) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that you have demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth, depth, currency, and level of advancement that which is normally associated with successful completion of the 4-year course of study described above
• and (3) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, your education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements
• In addition to the Basic Requirements outlined above, applicants must also meet the specialized experience/education requirements listed below: Specialized Experience/Education GS-9, Accountant: A
• Specialized Experience
• You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of an Accountant at GS-09 grade level
• Specialized Experience is defined as: planning, establishing and maintaining a commercial-type double entry accounting system covering several appropriations, revolving funds, general post funds, personal funds of patients, research, grants and construction appropriations
• serving as the technical accounting advisor to the Accounting Technicians
• responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Accounting Section relative to matters of policy, interpretation of regulations and procedures which are considered to be of greater than average difficulty
• advising on proper procedures to be followed when procedures have not been disseminated or have to be developed locally to meet station needs
• and providing exemplary customer service to internal and external customers
• Note: Must be demonstrated in your resume
• OR, B
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience
• To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree
• Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this
• OR, C
• Combination of Experience and Education: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at both grade levels
• You must have a combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and 6 months of specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements
• The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position
• Specialized Experience/Education GS-11, Accountant: A
• Specialized Experience
• You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of an Accountant at GS-09 grade level
• Specialized Experience is defined as: planning, establishing and maintaining a commercial-type double entry accounting system covering several appropriations, revolving funds, general post funds, personal funds of patients, research, grants and construction appropriations
• serving as the technical accounting advisor to the Accounting Technicians
• responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Accounting Section relative to matters of policy, interpretation of regulations and procedures which are considered to be of greater than average difficulty
• advising on proper procedures to be followed when procedures have not been disseminated or have to be developed locally to meet station needs
• and providing exemplary customer service to internal and external customers
• Note: Must be demonstrated in your resume
• OR, B
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience
• To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
• Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this
• OR, C
• Combination of Experience and Education: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at both grade levels
• You must have a combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and 6 months of specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements
• The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position
• Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional
• philanthropic
• religions
• spiritual
• community
• student
• social)
• Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment
• You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience
• Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week
• Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities
• Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment
• Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary, filing and boxing prior and current year papers to move to VA's main records and storage vault is performed regularly
• The work is performed in an office setting
• For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.