Certified Government
Financial Manager
CGFM title
The Pathway to Certification
Dan Neumann, CGFM
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
The Bottom Line Up Front…
 Who: AGA Members (non-CGFMs)
 What: CGFM Instructor-Led Training
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 When: April 28-30 (Module 1 and 3) and
May 1-3 (Module 2) - Participants need to
attend all days if possible
 Where: DFAS Indianapolis (8899 East 56th
Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249)
 Cost: $350.00 – check made payable to
AGA Indianapolis due by Jan 25th to Dan
Neumann
 Withdraw date to receive deposit back is
3/24/17
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
Benefits of Certification to you
 Do you want to…
 Become more competent?
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 Be more competitive?
 Be eligible for incentives?
 Keep up with changes in the
field?
If your answer is yes -- then the
CGFM is for you!
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
CGFM - Background
 Started in 1994
 Created by government financial
management experts
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 Over 14,000 CGFM certifications awarded
 CGFM addresses special knowledge needs
of today’s government financial manager
 CGFM provides first certification broad
enough to cover the entire field of
government financial management – local,
state, and federal
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
CGFM - Background
 Three examinations
 Computer based examination
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 100-110 questions per examination
 Two hours and fifteen minutes for each
examination
 $109 per examination
 $70 application fee for AGA members
and $99 for nonmembers. (Currently $35
for AGA Members through 3/31/17)
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
To Become Certified
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• To take any of the CGFM Examinations, you must have a
bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university that
is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you
have a foreign degree, you must provide an evaluation report
that states your degree is equivalent to a U.S. degree
(bachelor’s or higher) from an accredited college or university.
• Submit Official Transcripts
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
To Become Certified
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• CGFM candidates must have at least two years of
professional-level experience in government financial
management prior to being awarded their designation as a
CGFM. The experience requirement is not necessary to sit for
the examinations.
• A candidate's experience must involve government financial
management at a professional level in federal, state or local
government, the private sector, or academia
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
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CGFM Examinations
 Examination 1 - Governmental
Environment
 Examination 2 - Governmental Accounting,
Financial Reporting and Budgeting
 Examination 3 - Governmental Financial
Management and Control
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
Application Process
 Apply online
(https://www.agacgfm.org/CGFMCertification/CGFM-Application.aspx)
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 Complete application form - $70 for
AGA members and $99 for nonmembers.
Receive your confirmation of eligibility
 Submit a work verification form
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
Examination Process
 Purchase examinations on AGA website
- exam fee is $109
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 Print exam authorization letter with
exam scheduling instructions
 Schedule and take examinations
 Get your results immediately
 Receive your CGFM Certificate when
you pass all three examinations
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
To Stay Certified;
 Adhere to AGA’s Code of Ethics
 Obtain 80 CPEs every two years
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 Pay renewal fee every year;
$30 for AGA members
$65 for nonmembers
CGFM - The Pathway to Certification
Professional Certification Summary
 CGFM is the mark of professional
excellence
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 CGFM is transferable across agencies
and government levels, public, private
and non profit sectors
 Your agency may change, your job may
change, but your CGFM, like a college
degree, remains constant
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Questions?
Dan Neumann
317-212-3120
[email protected]
DFAS Specific Information
To request training time from your
supervisor and class reimbursement after
you pass all 3 modules, you must have an
approved SF182.
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 Go to the ePortal
 Click “My Dashboard”
Click “Training Request”
Click “Initiate Training
Request”
DFAS Specific Information
 The Request Type will be “External Training”
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 Page 2 – you must include the text in the “Notes Section.”
 Submit to Supervisor
DFAS Specific Information
 Requesting Training Time
 DFAS Policy No 1025.3-1: Payment/Reimbursement of
Expenses Related to Licenses and Professional
Certifications
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 Employees enrolled in a formal self-study or instructor-led
certification/licensing examination preparation review
course held during non-duty hours for which they have an
approved SF182, either employee or DFAS purchased, may
be granted up to 40 hours of official duty time during
regularly scheduled duty hours for study, subject to
supervisory discretion and oversight considering current
mission requirements.
 AGA Indianapolis verified with LDD that supervisors
can grant the 40 hours during duty time with an
approved SF182. No additional duty time training will
be provided.
 A DFAS employee will need to use annual leave for
the final day of training.
DFAS Specific Information
 Requesting Admin Time for Test Taking
 DFAS Policy No 1025.3-1: Payment/Reimbursement of
Expenses Related to Licenses and Professional
Certifications
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 Administrative leave, subject to mission requirements, is approved
for the purpose of taking an examination to obtain an approved
license or certification that is related to the employee’s career field
and in the best interest of DFAS, as determined by the Senior
Manager, or designee, in the employee’s organization.
 Each employee may be granted admin leave for no more than two
sittings for the examination (or for each part of a multi-part
examination) required for a particular certification or license
during an employee’s career. Scheduling of administrative leave
must be coordinated with the employee’s supervisor.
 The amount of administrative leave approved to sit for an
examination will be at the discretion of the employee’s supervisor
based on the length of the examination, travel time required, and
whether the employee is expected to report to work before or after
the examination.
DFAS Specific Information
 Reimbursement Process (via OF1164 and
subject to availability of agency funds)
 See attached guidance
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 Can be reimbursed for application, testing (only passed
tests), training (with approved SF182), and certification
fees.