Does severance delay my unemployment claim?

I signed a severance agreement and I am worried about how to report it. The agreement mentions a release and a payment schedule. Who should I ask before signing?

Rules differ by state. I called the claims line and asked directly, then wrote down the answer and the date.

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