Severance and unemployment, do they overlap? after 4 years as a copywriter

I was offered severance of 4 weeks after being let go as a copywriter and I am unsure how it affects benefits. The agreement mentions a release and a payment schedule. Did you file straight away?

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 10 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.