Questions concerning this policy chapter should be directed to:

• Veterans Health Administration
• Veterans Benefits Administration
• National Cemetery Administration
• Debt Management Center
• Financial Services Center
• Construction and Facilities Management
• All others

0101 Overview

This chapter establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) financial policy for processing journal vouchers (JVs) to enter, adjust, or correct accounting and financial information.

Key points covered in this chapter:

• Proper preparation of JVs is important to ensure that financial events are accurately recorded and documented;
• VA will maintain adequate JV documentation to support the event and ensure a detailed audit trail exists; and
• VA will ensure that JVs are reviewed and promptly approved by appropriate personnel, and that documentation of JV approval is maintained for audit purposes.

0102 Revisions

Section	Revision	Office	Reason for Change	Effective Date
Various	Restructure chapter to cover only transactions that do not have a standard transaction code in the accounting system.	OFP	Full review	March 2025
010505	Added final cutoff date for fiscal year end transactions.	OFR	Change to fiscal year end processes	March 2025
Appendix G	Added new iFAMS accounting period.	OFR	New iFAMS accounting period	March 2025

For a complete listing of previous policy revisions, see Appendix A: Previous Policy Revisions.

0103 Definitions

Journal Voucher (JV) – A transaction that is used to enter, adjust, reverse, or correct accounting and financial information that does not have a standard transaction code built into the accounting system. The sum of debits must equal the sum of credits so it will post as a balanced entry in the general ledger.

Journal Voucher Package – Documentation required to sufficiently support the transaction, purpose, and need of the JV, evidence of the approvals, and verification that the transaction processed correctly. This serves as an integral part of the audit trail as key documents routinely examined by auditors as part of audit procedures.

JV Form 1017-G – Required form used in the JV package to identify the general ledger accounts and details for the entry.

Management Information Exchange (MinX) – A Hyperion-based reporting system that automates the preparation of VA’s financial statements. MinX receives data via interface from VA’s accounting system. Month-end reporting JVs related to Financial Management System (FMS) fund balances are posted in MinX by users limited to the Financial Services Center (FSC), Veterans Benefits Administration Accounting Policy & Reporting Division (VBA-APRD), and Office of Financial Reporting (OFR).

Non-expenditure Transfers (NET) –The moving of budgetary resources from one budget account TAS to another that does not involve outlays. A transaction that does not represent payment for goods and services but serves only to adjust amounts available in accounts. NETs do not appear in Treasury publications or budget documents as receipts or expenditures, and therefore, do not affect the budget surplus or deficit. NETs are done at the Treasury Account Symbol (TAS) level through treasury; they are limited to user group transactions and not a field operational activity.

Post-Review Process – A standardized review of the transaction to ensure there were no errors in the posting of the JV, that documentation is clear and sufficient to support the transaction, and that required approvals were obtained. This process is an integral part of VA’s internal controls and was designed to ensure the JV was accurately posted and had the desired accounting effect in the accounting system.

Reporting JVs – MinX or Integrated Financial and Acquisition Management System (iFAMS) JVs prepared and approved for financial reporting and presentation purposes by select staff at Financial Services Center (FSC), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and Office of Financial Reporting (OFR).

Standard Voucher (SV) – A transaction that is used to enter, adjust, or correct accounting and financial information using a standard transaction code built into the accounting system where the debits and credits are pre-defined (e.g., transaction codes SV and RJ in FMS). SVs are used in defined processes that align to business needs (e.g., to record accounting transactions that are not included in any of the other financial system modules, such as accruals, recurring accounting reclassifications, and interfaces).

VA’s Accounting System – The central accounting system for all of VA. The legacy system used by VA is the Financial Management System (FMS), and the modern system used by VA is the Integrated Financial and Acquisition Management System (iFAMS).

0104 Roles and Responsibilities

Administration and Staff Office CFOs are responsible for the review and approval of all JVs equal to or greater than $100 million.

Financial Services Center (FSC) is responsible for the entry, review, and authorization of JVs in VA’s accounting system and JVs used in the preparation of Financial Statements (other than those prepared by Office of Financial Reporting). FSC also performs a variety of roles in the oversight of the agency’s JV processes.

Office of Financial Reporting (OFR) is responsible for preparing, approving, and posting reporting JVs. OFR is responsible for establishing and disseminating closing/reporting adjustment cutoffs, and approving adjustments to accounts in closed periods, when required.

Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) is responsible for posting reporting JV entries in MinX applicable to their organization.

JV Approving Official is a role held by a staff member within the local finance office. The JV Approving Official approves the JV for posting and ensures accuracy and completeness of supporting documentation.

JV Authorizer is a role held by a limited number of FSC staff members with security access to input JVs into VA’s accounting system. The JV Authorizer reviews the final approved JV and posts the JV to the accounting system.

JV Preparer is a role held by a staff member within a local finance office who identifies the need for a JV, collects the necessary supporting documentation, and prepares the JV for review and approval. This role is referred to as the “MinX JV Submitter” for reporting JVs.

0105 Policies

010501 General Policies

1. JVs will be processed when necessary to correct or adjust VA general ledger (GL) account balances to ensure that financial events are accurately recorded. They are used to record accounting activities such as:
   • Correcting abnormal balances;
   • Consolidating entries;
   • Month-end close processes;
   • Quarter end or year end adjustments;
   • One-time corrections;
   • Conversion entries;
   • To comply with GTAS edits and validations; and
   • Accounting events that cannot be accomplished using standard financial system functions.
2. JV use should be limited and closely monitored as financial data should be posted through the normal course of transaction processing.
3. It is the responsibility of the Administration and Staff Office CFOs to ensure their financial information is properly recorded and presented, even if their accounting functions are performed by FSC. When accounting functions are performed by FSC, CFOs must ensure they have adequate internal controls in place to oversee the work performed by FSC.
4. JVs will specifically identify any parties to the transaction. The use of miscellaneous vendor is not permitted except in the following limited circumstances:
   1. Where an individual vendor code cannot be processed (e.g., when a benefit cost was disbursed from an incorrect appropriation, a JV is posted to adjust the cost to the correct appropriation. A vendor code is required in VA’s accounting system, so a special vendor code is used.)
   2. Fund-to-fund transactions in VA’s legacy accounting system. Due to system limitations, vendor codes using “MISC” are the only options available for fund-to-fund transactions. These are approved special vendor codes.

010502 Journal Vouchers

1. The use of JVs will be limited to the maximum extent practicable. If a JV with the same purpose impacting the same GL accounts is required on a recurring basis, FSC will develop a standard voucher (SV) for that scenario in VA’s accounting system. For more information on SVs, see Volume IX, Chapter 2 – Standard Vouchers.
2. FSC will maintain the series of JV categories/types to standardize the categories used for JVs. The JV Authorizer who inputs the JV into the accounting system will determine the appropriate standardized categories used on the JV.
3. Only FSC, OFR, and VBA may post closing/reporting JVs. All other JVs are sent to FSC to review and process where only a limited staff can input the JVs into the accounting system.
4. All month-end closing/reporting adjustments must be processed in the accounting or reporting system by the cutoff date provided by OFR.
5. JVs adjusting accounts in closed periods must be coordinated with OFR and approved by OFR prior to processing. FSC, Administrations, and Staff Offices will provide adequate documentation to OFR including a determination of whether the adjustment to the closed period has any impact on the current year’s financial statements.
6. All year end closing adjustments should be processed in iFAMS and MinX within 7 business days. Any proposed adjustments occurring after the 7-day period can only be made if approved in advance by OFR.
7. October 31^st is the final cutoff date for any JVs to be posted against fiscal year end balances. If there are extenuating circumstances that require a JV after this date, it must be approved in advance by OFR. Examples of JVs that may need to be posted after this date include but are not limited to:
   • Audit adjustments;
   • GTAS adjustments; or
   • Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requested entries.

010503 Documentation Requirements

1. JVs must be clearly labeled with a JV/Document ID number (i.e., a number obtained from a JV log). The JV/Document ID number serves as the JV identification number and is referred to as the “Label” in the MinX system.
2. JVs must contain a clear description of the purpose of the JV (e.g., the reason for the correction or adjustment) and an adequate detailed explanation supporting why the JV must be processed. An adequate explanation means that additional descriptions or discussions should not be required to understand the purpose of the JV and to verify the accuracy of the posted entry.
3. JVs must identify the JV Preparer and JV Approving Official name and title. To satisfy segregation of duties requirements and decrease the risk of errors, JVs will be prepared and approved by separate individuals with sufficient knowledge to determine that the JV is necessary, appropriate, and that sufficient documentation exists to support the JV. iFAMS has system controls for segregation of duty requirements that prevent a user from approving their own JV.
4. In FMS, documentation of approval must reflect the JV Preparer’s and Approving Officials’ signatures and dates on the JV. A system generated digital signature and date is acceptable. In iFAMS, users will upload the documentation package into the system. System controls automatically route for the required approvals prior to posting within the accounting system. This system functionality allows the documentation and approval to be maintained with the transaction.
5. JV documentation must include documents supporting the amounts and GL accounts to be posted (e.g., macro-proforma). This includes schedules (e.g., reconciliations or transaction details) that would enable anyone reviewing the JV to re-perform calculations or verify summarized amounts.
6. A request for a JV not supported by accurate or proper documentation, including the mandatory JV Form 1017-G, will be denied by the JV Approving Official and returned with a request for additional information required to process the JV, along with any applicable authoritative guidance to support the need for the JV.
7. JVs and related documentation will be retained in accordance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) General Records Schedule.
8. Separate centralized JV Logs are maintained for VA’s accounting systems and reporting system – one for JVs in FMS, one for JVs in IFAMS, and one for MinX JVs, which is the MinX Journal Extra Report.
9. JV Logs are used in the JV preparation process to verify completeness and accuracy of the JV population in the quarterly JV monitoring and testing process and for other analytic procedures. See Appendix E: JV Log Procedures for detailed information regarding JV logs.
10. CFOs will affirm on their End of Quarter Financial Statement Certification submitted to OFR that JVs in VA’s accounting system equal to or greater than $100 million have been appropriately reviewed and approved. Refer to Volume VII, Chapter 1 – Financial Statement Reporting, for further information on this certification.

010504 Approval Requirements

1. Approval requirements for JVs are based on dollar value.
   1. For JVs less than $100 million, Administrations and Staff Offices will approve prior to sending to FSC.
   2. JVs equal to or greater than $100 million but less than $1 billion:
      1. Administration or Staff Office CFOs will approve. Administration and Staff Office CFOs may re-delegate this approval within their immediate office and no lower than the GS-15 level (i.e., this authority may not be re-delegated to an individual that does not report directly to the Administration and Staff Office CFO).
      2. After approval by the Administration and Staff Office CFO (or designee), the JV will be forwarded for review and approval to FSC either through email (VAFSCNWAccounting@va.gov) for FMS or routed through iFAMS configuration. JVs will be approved by the FSC Senior Advisor, iFAMS Service Director, or Financial Accounting Service (FAS) Director  the same day as submitted when possible. The approval may be re-delegated within FSC no lower than the GS-15 level.
      3. In iFAMS, system controls require all approvals prior to posting the JV. In FMS, to the extent possible, approvals shall be obtained prior to the JV being recorded in VA’s accounting system. However, if there is insufficient time to route the JV for approval due to reporting deadlines, the entry may be made, and approval obtained as soon as possible after the entry. All approvals must be obtained no later than 7 business days after the date of the entry.
   3. JVs equal to or greater than $1 billion:
      1. Administration and Staff Office CFOs will approve. The Administration and Staff Office CFO may only re-delegate this approval within their office and cannot be delegated lower than the SES level.
      2. After approval by the Administration and Staff Office CFO (or designee), the JV will be forwarded for review and approval to FSC either through email (VAFSCNWAccounting@va.gov) for FMS or routed through iFAMS configuration. JVs will be approved by the FSC Executive Director (ED) or a delegated Senior Executive Service (SES) equivalent position.
      3. In iFAMS, system controls require all approvals prior to posting the JV. In FMS,  approvals shall be obtained prior to the JV being recorded in VA’s accounting system. However, if there is insufficient time to route the JV for approval due to reporting deadlines, the entry may be made, and approval obtained as soon as possible after the entry. All approvals must be obtained no later than 7 business days after the date of the entry.
2. FSC, OFR, and VBA closing/reporting JVs will be approved as follows:
   1. JVs less than $100 million will be approved by an accountant within the reporting function.
   2. JVs equal to or greater than $100 million will be approved by the FSC Senior Advisor, OFR Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary (ADAS), or VBA CFO. This may be re-delegated to the GS-15 level within the reporting function.
   3. Approval of JVs equal to or greater than $1 billion may not be delegated.
   4. Approvals should be obtained on the same day, if practical, but no later than 7 business days from the posting date.

010505 Post-Review Requirements

1. JV Authorizers must verify and document immediately after posting a JV that it was properly posted to appropriate GL accounts and that the entry had the desired effect on VA’s financial records and statements.
2. Documentation of a property processed JV can take many forms depending on the type of JV processed, for example, FMS screenshots showing the change in budget authority or a before and after trial balance showing the correct increase and decrease in the posted GL accounts.
3. Documentation of the post review process must be maintained for audit and management review purposes.
4. Discrepancies found in the post-review process for JVs will be corrected promptly to ensure the accuracy of data contained in the accounting system and reflected in the financial statements.

0106 Authorities and References

• National Archives and Records Administration Records Schedule
• USSGL Section IV, USSGL Account Attributes
• VA Financial Policy Publications
  • Volume VII, Chapter 1 – Financial Statement Reporting
  • Volume IX, Chapter 2 – Standard Vouchers
• iFAMS Special Vendor Codes
• OF 1017-G Journal Voucher
• Sample of a properly prepared OF-1017

0107 Rescissions

Volume II, Chapter 1A – VA Journal Vouchers, May 2024.

Approved Purposes for MinX JVs

Type	Description/Example	GL Impact
1-Accruals/Payroll	Adjustments specific to accrued expense methodology and payroll
Annual Leave	Record Annual leave liability – funded and unfunded	Multiple GLs
Accrual Adjustments	Record Accrual Adjustments	Multiple GLs
2-Budgetary Adjustments	Adjustments to conform to budgetary documents – for example, SF-132 Schedule of Apportionment
Budgetary Corrections	This entry is used to balance the SF-132; correct budgetary interface issues	Multiple GLs within the 4000 Series
3-Financial Presentation	Adjustments to financial statement line items, for example, eliminations
Financial Reporting Presentation	This entry is to record VA Offsetting Receipts. Collections are credited to general fund, special fund, or trust fund receipt accounts.	9701 and 9702
	This entry is to correct ending balance for incorrect close out of prior year rescission amount. This adjustment is temporary, pending recommended resolution.	3100 and 3310
	This adjustment is required to conform with Treasury’s reclassified crosswalks to submit into the GTAS closing package for the SNC.	Multiple GLs and 5XXX and 6XXX
Eliminations	This entry is used for Statement of Net Cost eliminations.	Multiple GLs
	This entry is required for VA SNC elimination and reclassification for intragovernmental activity and presentation.	Multiple GLs
	This entry eliminates the intragovernmental receivable balances in supply and franchise funds (re: DeptAdmin) and offsets the elimination against VHA payables.	1316, 1317 and 211N
	This entry is required to reclassify expenses to 036 to offset Franchise Revenue per FMS Table, “IVLT”.
4-Timing Differences	Adjustments to account for data not available at month end for example from Treasury, DOL, or DOJ
Treasury CARS Cash Adjustments	This entry adjusts FBWT accounts to Treasury CARS balances for suspense / deposit funds and establishes the VA liability.	1010 and 2400 or 2410
	This entry reclassifies the balances from sub 00 to the only active sub (90); and to the other 6 subs to match CARS; and is required to certify GTAS.	1010, 1023, 2400, 2401 and 2404
	This entry adjusts Non-FMS FBWT GL to tie to GTAS FBWT balance and establishing Treasury liability; and is required to certify GTAS.	1010 and 2985
	This entry adjusts FBWT and/or outlays for open and expired appropriations and funds.	1010, and multiple GLs
	This entry reclassifies accounting system GFR balances and establishes the Treasury liability.	2985 and 6744
	This entry is required in Period 14 for Cancelling Funds. Accounting system close logic incorrectly posts to cancelling years with TC ‘BL’.	4350, 480F and 480N
Authoritative Sources (e.g., DOL FECA)	This entry adjusts the prior year Actuarial Expense recorded in the current year.	2225 and 6850.
Judgment Fund	This entry records the Judgment Fund imputed costs and also the accrual related to Legal contingencies.	5780 and 6734
5-Other	One-time entries not belonging to the above categories
Other	This entry is used to record adjustments that do not fit into any other category.
6-System Limitations	Adjustments necessary to account for VA systems limitations, including trading partner corrections.
GTAS	This adjustment is required to conform with Treasury’s reclassified crosswalks to submit into the GTAS closing package for the BS.	Multiple GLs, 13XX, 14XX and 2XXX.
	These entries are required to correct for how MinX calculates net position amounts as a result of how prior year MinX period 14 entries roll forward.	2650, 2921, 3310 and 6850.
	This entry adjusts GTAS TP 999 for SL 5720,	5720, 5721, and 5723
Canteen	This entry is used to true-up Canteen Services ledgers for monthly close. Canteen operates on a retail cycle separate from VA’s system, and manual adjustments are necessary to bring VA’s ledgers into alignment with Canteen.	1010, 1023, 1120, 1190, 1311, 2116, 3310, 5103, 6100 and 9089. Multiple GLs
Trading Partner Corrections	This entry is used to properly record transactions with Trading Partners due to inherent accounting system limitations.	Multiple GLs
7- Audit Adjustments	Auditor requested adjustments
Audit Adjustments	This entry is used to record proposed audit adjustments in MinX period 14.	Multiple GLs

Appendix G: Comparison of FMS, iFAMS, and MinX Periods

1. For FMS and iFAMS, each accounting system period runs from the first day of the month through the last day of the month (where period 01 is October, period 02 is November, etc.). Period 00 represents the current years’ beginning balances.
2. FMS period 13 is open on October 1, and FMS period 14 is a single day for all final entries. FMS period 15 is the period when all general ledgers close out in preparation for the next year’s beginning balances.
3. iFAMS period 12 is for the month of September. This period closes on October 1st. Access to Period 12 on October 1st is limited to members of the annual close team and select Administration staff. Period 13 is for preclosing adjusting entries to support GTAS reporting. This period is open only to select FSC/OFR staff. Period 14 is for audit adjustments and other reporting entries needed to finalize the financial statements. This period is only open to select FSC/OFR staff. Period 15 is for annual close. Carryover will be recorded in this period. Period 16 is for annual close. Nominal general ledger accounts like revenue, expense, and other fiscal year based budgetary and proprietary accounts are closed for the fiscal year based on the settings in the iFAMS Year End Definitions Table.
4. MinX periods open when the final accounting system month end date is received, typically around the 3rd day following month end. The close of MinX periods is dependent on whether it is a month or quarter end. MinX period 13 is the adjustment period for permanently recording JVs from MinX into FMS. MinX period 14 is used only for certain types of adjustments, such as audit adjustments. There is no corresponding MinX period for FMS period 15.

iFAMS Period	FMS Period	MinX Period
iFAMS 00	FMS 00	MinX BegBal00
iFAMS 01	FMS 01	MinX OCT
iFAMS 02	FMS 02	MinX NOV
iFAMS 03	FMS 03	MinX DEC
iFAMS 04	FMS 04	MinX JAN
iFAMS 05	FMS 05	MinX FEB
iFAMS 06	FMS 06	MinX MAR
iFAMS 07	FMS 07	MinX APR
iFAMS 08	FMS 08	MinX MAY
iFAMS 09	FMS 09	MinX JUN
iFAMS 10	FMS 10	MinX JUL
iFAMS 11	FMS 11	MinX AUG
iFAMS 12	FMS 12	MinX SEP
iFAMS 13	FMS 13	MinX Period 13
iFAMS 14	FMS 14	MinX Period 14
iFAMS 15	FMS 15
iFAMS 16