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

0201 Overview

This chapter establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) financial policies relating to General Fund Receipt Accounts (GFRAs). GFRAs are established to record receipts of the Federal Government that have not been earmarked by law for a specific purpose. These include receipts from penalties and fines, custodial and non-entity collections, contributions from military personnel, and miscellaneous receipts.

Key points covered in this chapter:

• GFRAs balances do not affect VA’s budgetary resources;
• VA will not use GFRAs collections for obligations and expenditures, unless authorized by law; and
• VA will manage and report GFRAs collections in accordance with Treasury’s General Fund Receipt Account Guide, Federal Account Symbols and Titles (the FAST Book), and Treasury Financial Manual (TFM) Volume I, Part 2, Chapter 4700.

0202 Revisions

See changelog.

0203 Definitions

General Fund Account – Accounts in the U.S. Treasury containing federal moneys not allocated by law to any other fund account.

General Fund Receipt Account (GFRA) – A receipt account credited with funds from collections that are not earmarked by law for another account for a specific purpose.

These collections are presented in the Budget of the United States Government as either governmental (budget) receipts or offsetting receipts.

Reciprocal Category – a set of reclassified financial statement federal line items or a grouping of U.S. Standard General Ledger accounts. The set is used to perform eliminations at the government-wide level of offsetting intragovernmental transactions.

U.S. Standard General Ledger (USSGL) – Identifies standard GL account codes established by Treasury to reinforce and aid in consistent recording of financial events, as well as the preparation of standard external reports required by OMB and Treasury.

0204 Roles and Responsibilities

Under Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, Chief Financial Officers, Fiscal Officers, Chief Accountants, and Other Key Officials (OKO) are responsible for ensuring compliance with the policies set forth in this chapter.

Administration and Staff Office Chief Financial Officers and Local Fiscal Staff are responsible for the timely research, documentation, and recording of funds credited to GFRAs.

Financial Services Center (FSC) is responsible for providing support for the accounting and reporting of VA’s GFRAs, including posting, reconciling, and recording transactions, as requested.

Office of Financial Reporting (OFR) is responsible for preparing and submitting VA’s Agency Financial Report and ensuring reporting compliance with OMB Circular A-136.

Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) – is responsible for providing support for the accounting and reporting of VBA’s GFRAs, including posting, reconciling, recording of transactions and preparation of GTAS submissions.

0205 Policies

020501 General Policies

1. When VA receives collections and credits, VA finance staff will research transactions to decide the appropriate classification and accounting treatment.
2. VA will promptly deposit funds with Treasury in accordance with 31 U.S.C. § 3302(b). If the collections are not earmarked by law for a specific purpose, VA will deposit the funds into one of VA’s existing GFRAs as displayed in Appendix A.
3. VA will not use the receipts deposited to GFRAs for obligations or expenditures.
4. VA will adhere to Treasury’s requirements for accounting, reporting, and disposition of collections in GFRAs.

020502 GFRA Reporting Requirements

1. VA will adhere to the financial reporting requirements and guidance in:
   • Treasury’s General Fund Receipt Account Guide;
   • Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) 1, 7 and 31; and
   • OMB Circular A-136.
2. FSC will notify Treasury of non-Central Accounting Reporting System (CARS) reported data by the eighth business day following the end of a quarter, to prevent Intragovernmental differences with the General Fund. Submission reconciles general fund activity by reciprocal category. This information will be sent via email to GeneralFund@fiscal.treasury.gov using the General Fund Agency Submission Form.
3. The General Fund Agency Submission form information will include, but is not limited to:
   • A general description of the type of transactional data being sent;
   • U.S. Standard General Ledger (USSGL) codes involved; and
   • Applicable amounts by USSGL code.
4. OFR will reconcile VA GFRA cash to Treasury’s balance monthly.
5. FSC and VBA will report GFRA balances on a monthly basis by submitting a certified Adjusted Trial Balance (ATB) in GTAS in accordance with TFM Volume I, Part 2, Chapter 4700, requirement. When certifying the GTAS ATB data, FSC and VBA are confirming the Treasury Account Symbol (TAS) is valid and its USSGL balances are accurate.
6. Treasury will perform a sweep of GFRA balances in CARS after the close of the fiscal year. The sweep will effectively transfer GFRA balances into the General Fund of Treasury at the end of the fiscal year. To reflect this activity, FSC will record a pre- closing (adjusting) trial balance entry in VA’s accounting systems in period 13 to reduce GFRA balances to zero.

0206 Authorities and References

• 31 U.S.C. § 3302(b), Custodians of money (aka Miscellaneous Receipts Statute)
• 31 U.S.C. § 3513, Financial reporting and accounting system
• Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) Handbooks by Chapter
  • SFFAS 1, Accounting for Selected Assets and Liabilities
  • SFFAS 7, Accounting for Revenue and Other Financing Sources and Concepts for Reconciling Budgetary and Financial Accounting
  • SFFAS 31, Accounting for Fiduciary Activities
• General Fund Receipt Account Guide (PDF, 164 pages)
• Governmentwide Treasury Account Symbol Adjusted Trial Balance System (GTAS)
• OMB Circulars:
  • A-11, Preparation, Submission and Execution of the Budget (PDF, 1056 pages)
  • A-136, Financial Reporting Requirements – Revised (PDF, 121 pages)
• TFM, Volume I, Part 2, Chapter 1500, Description of Accounts Relating to Financial Operations
• TFM, Volume I, Part 2, Chapter 4700, Federal Entity Reporting Requirements for the Financial Report of the United States Government

0207 Rescissions

VA Financial Policy Volume II, Chapter 2D – General Fund Receipt Account, May 2019.

0208 Policy Approval

This policy was approved by the VA Chief Financial Officer’s Council on May 10, 2023.

Appendix A: Chart of VA’s General Fund Receipt Accounts

VA finance staff will use GFRA’s listed in the chart below to record receipts after completing research on required deposit. The chart shows VA’s GFRAs listed in GTAS Super Master Account File (SMAF) as of December 2022. This display adds descriptions to some of the Account Title fields and abbreviates or removes repetitive mention of VA (036 is VA’s Agency ID Code).

AID	Main	Sub	Account Title
036	0869	000	Fees for Legal and Judicial Services, Not Otherwise Classified – will hold receipts from special programs administration, administrative, professional and judicial service fees, fees collected by United States courts and marshals, and fees for probate of estates of deceased Native Americans.
036	0891	000	Miscellaneous Fees for Regulatory and Judicial Services, Not Otherwise Classified
036	1030	000	Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures, Immigration and Labor Laws
036	1060	000	Forfeitures of Unclaimed Money and Property – will hold proceeds from the sale of abandoned or confiscated properties and excess foreign check proceeds.
036	1099	000	Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures, Not Otherwise Classified – excludes collections arising out of contracting or similar business transactions.
036	1210	000	Contributions to Conscience Fund
036	1299	000	Gifts to the United States, Not Otherwise Classified
036	1411	000	Interest on Loans to VA, Direct Loans to Veterans and Reserves
036	1422	000	Interest on Loans, Higher Education Facilities Loan Fund
036	1435	000	General Fund Proprietary Interest, Not Otherwise Classified
036	2431	000	Charges for Medical Services
036	2466	000	Fees for the VA Loan Guarantee Housing Program
036	2473	000	Contributions from Military Personnel, VA Educational Assistance Act of 1984 – will hold transfers from Department of Defense for offsets from Service members’ pay for the Montgomery GI Bill.
036	2732	001	Loan Guaranty Direct Loan Financing, Negative Subsidies
036	2732	003	Loan Guaranty Direct Loan Financing, Downward Reestimates of Subsidies
036	2733	001	Guaranty and Indemnity Direct Loan Financing, Negative Subsidies
036	2733	003	Guaranty and Indemnity Direct Loan Finance, Downward Reestimates of Subsidies
036	2734	001	Guaranty and Indemnity Guaranteed Loan Financing, Negative Subsidies
036	2734	003	Guaranty and Indemnity Guaranteed Loan Financing, Downward Reestimates of Subsidies from direct and guaranteed loans. Funds include 036X4124, 036X4127, 036X4129 and 036X4258, but exclude Native American Veteran Housing Direct Loan Financing Account (NADL 036X4130).
036	2751	001	Native American Veterans Housing Loans, Negative Subsidies – will hold downward reestimates of direct loans from fund 036X4130 (NADL).
036	2751	003	Native American Veterans Housing Loans, Downward Reestimates
036	2755	001	Veterans Housing Benefit Loan Program, Negative Subsidies – will hold negative subsidy receipts on direct and guaranteed loans from funds 036X4124, 036X4127 and 036X4129.
036	2767	003	Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VRE) Direct Loan Financing, Downward Reestimates of Subsidies
036	2814	000	Other Repayments of Investments and Recoveries – will hold transfers from Liquidating Fund 036X4025, Veterans Housing Benefit Program Fund Liquidating Account, for activity on pre-cohort 1992 loans for returns to the government of monies previously invested, loaned or advanced.
036	3102	001	Recoveries from Federal Agencies Resulting from Reductions in the Civilian Salaries of Military Retirees, Federal Funds.
036	3200	000	Collections of Receivables from Canceled Accounts
036	3220	000	General Fund Proprietary Receipts, Not Otherwise Classified, All Other – will hold collections that do not fit another account.
036	3241	000	Monies Derived from the General Fund Returned to the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury – will hold rescinded monies transferred from the Recurring Expense Transformational Fund (036X1124).