Severance and unemployment, do they overlap? after 7 years as a welding apprentice

I was offered severance of 7 weeks after being let go as a welding apprentice and I am unsure how it affects benefits. The agreement mentions a release and a payment schedule. How did your state treat it?

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