JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of local military service members are at risk of missing a paycheck with the government appearing to be headed towards a shutdown Wednesday.

With at least four major military installations here in Northeast Florida and another in Southeast Georgia, 68,000 civilian and military employees could be impacted by a shutdown — and that’s just in Duval County.

“They’ll be required to continue to work without pay,” said US Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL 5th District)

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Rutherford explained the impact of a government shutdown goes beyond lost pay.

Elective surgeries, counseling and other services also stand to be paused for service members.

“And look, this is going to affect 335,000 DOD personnel,” said Rutherford.

Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL 6th District) is cosponsoring legislation that would ensure military members continue receiving a paycheck during government shutdowns, but with the House out until at least Friday, it can’t pass before the looming deadline.

“Some people will still get paid in the event of a shutdown, just not members of the military and this would fix that, but I don’t know that it will fix it – it can’t fix it before the problem begins,” said Fine.

But there are options available to active-duty military to help get them through a shutdown.

“To ensure their financial security and to help them continue to meet their day-to-day needs,” said Daniel Diaz, a spokesperson for USAA.

Diaz explained USAA offers stop gap loans at no interest during shutdowns to make up for lost paychecks.

Several other financial institutions like Navy Federal and VyStar Credit Unions offer similar programs as well.

RELATED: Potential government shutdown: What will be affected?

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“Talk to your bank, your credit union to ensure that you have a plan in place, the more peace of mind, the more confident you’re going to feel going into this shutdown,” said Diaz.

For military members, the first missed paycheck would come on October 15th.

When the government reopens, they will receive back pay.

Still, Diaz advises reaching out to your financial institution sooner rather than later to see what options are available.

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