Georgia’s Department of Labor this week is sending word to federal employees who received unemployment benefits because of the government shutdown: we’ll take a check.

Because Congress eventually voted to re-open government and pay workers for the days they were out of work, any worker who had received jobless benefits must reimburse the state.

The state paid benefits to 1,734 federal employees as a result of the 16-day shutdown, said Sam Hall, spokesman for the state Department of Labor.

“They knew all along that if they got retroactive pay, they’d be required to repay that money in full.”

The maximum benefit available to the jobless in Georgia is $330 a week.

Just over 11,000 Georgians filed claims for unemployment linked to the shutdown. That figure includes both federal employees and private workers furloughed because of the down time.

There was no provision for the government to pay contractors for the closure, so private workers who received unemployment benefits will not have to repay the state, unless the company reimburses them.

Some furloughed federal workers chose not to file, hoping that the shutdown would be short and that – as in the past – they would be reimbursed. But there was no guarantee of either.

“I filed because I didn’t know how long we were going to be out,” said Priscilla Oliver of Atlanta, a life scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency. “I wanted to make sure I could take care of myself. You don’t want to use all your savings.”

Payments to furloughed federal workers totaled $678,743. That represents a small fraction of benefits to all jobless Georgians. Last week, the state issued benefits of $10.6 million and $7.7 million in extended benefits paid by the federal government.

Federal workers who owe the state will receive letters in the next few days seeking repayment.

After that, each will get a notice with the amount they owe, and employees will have 30 days to make the repayment.

If workers do not make the required payment, the state can garnish wages, Hall said. “Bottom line, we are going to get that money back.”

Oliver said she is glad to be back at work, especially since her first paycheck after returning came on the same day she had to pay a $900 bill for job-related travel. But she said there is still a sense of unease, since the deal that reopened the agency is only good for a few months.

“People are worried about Jan. 15,” Oliver said. “Are we going to have to go through this again?”