Severance and unemployment, do they overlap?, IT help-desk technician here

I was offered severance of 15 weeks after being let go as an IT help-desk technician and I am unsure how it affects benefits. Thank you in advance. I also wonder about the job-search requirement. Who should I ask before signing?

Before signing, I asked a friend who is a lawyer to look at the agreement. It was a short conversation and worth it.

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