Severance and unemployment, do they overlap? - 9 months and counting

I was offered severance of 18 weeks after being let go as a sales associate and I am unsure how it affects benefits. I have been trying to stay organised about it. I have a mortgage and need to plan. 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 9 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.