Severance and unemployment, do they overlap? - 11 months and counting

I was offered severance of 5 weeks after being let go as an electrician's helper and I am unsure how it affects benefits. I do not usually post, so bear with me. I have a mortgage and need to plan. Who should I ask before signing?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 11 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

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