Got severance, how does it affect benefits? after 11 years as a teaching assistant

I was offered severance of 11 weeks after being let go as a teaching assistant and I am unsure how it affects benefits. I worked as a teaching assistant before this. The agreement mentions a release and a payment schedule. Did you file straight away?

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.