As civilian federal workers in Colorado wait for word as to whether they will be furloughed by a federal government shutdown, the state’s Department of Labor and Employment is reaching out to aid workers in claiming unemployment benefits.

The agency, which made the announcement early Wednesday, reiterated that many federal workers could be eligible for benefits during a shutdown. There are some 54,300 federal workers in Colorado according to the agency, although not all of them would be affected by a shutdown.

Furloughed workers should file their claims online at coloradoui.gov. The department, the statement added, also has additional resources designed to support laid-off federal employees.

Workers should not file their claim until their last day of work, the statement noted.

Federal workers are considered to be “job attached,” meaning that they would not be required to carry out a work search prior to eligibility during a furlough. The Federal Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 requires retroactive pay and leave compensation for federal workers during a furlough.

If a federal employee receives back pay for furloughed time, employees are responsible for paying back any unemployment benefits received. Not covered, the statement noted, are federal contractors.

The Colorado department has a call center line set up at 303-318-9000, open during regular hours outside of upcoming state holidays.