Does severance delay my unemployment claim? after 12 years as a welding apprentice

My employer is paying severance in instalments and I am not sure whether to file now. I do not usually post, so bear with me. I also wonder about the job-search requirement. Who should I ask before signing?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 3 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.