Does severance delay my unemployment claim? - 8 weeks in

My employer is paying severance in instalments and I am not sure whether to file now. It has been weighing on me all week. I also wonder about the job-search requirement. Who should I ask before signing?

I filed on day one anyway and reported the severance honestly. The agency decided what to do about the timing.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.