Does severance delay my unemployment claim? - 16 weeks in

My employer is paying severance in instalments and I am not sure whether to file now. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. The agreement mentions a release and a payment schedule. Who should I ask before signing?

Some states only count certain kinds of severance. A local workforce centre could tell me which.

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It saved me later.