Severance and unemployment, do they overlap? after 18 years as a call-centre agent

My employer is paying severance in instalments and I am not sure whether to file now. There are 18 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I also wonder about the job-search requirement.

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

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It made the follow-up calls so much easier.