My question involves unemployment benefits for the state of: Illinois
My company was recently acquired by another and I am currently receiveing severance pay from the new company. We were required to sign an agreement which stated that you can file for unemployment but that your severance would be reduced by any amount received.
The new company brought in a representative from IDES. She conducted several meetings for different groups in our company and after researching, she told us that we should be able to receive both without penalty. She also stated that we should open a claim with unemployment as soon as we were displaced. She stated that you can open a claim without receiving payment, and that you had one year from the date your claim was opened to start collecting benefits. She said that this is what all of us should do since we would be receiving severance and that is not considered "working income" when considering your benefit. As people were let go, many of them went to IDES and were all told by the reps there that they could not open a claim if they didn't want to start receiving benefits right away.
I need to know what is the correct answer because I have been off of work since April 30th and have not yet gone to IDES to open a claim. I want to make sure that I get the full benefit that I am entitled to. I will be collecting severance pay until the end of October, and will be a full time student at that time.
I don't want to receive unemployment while receiving my severance because I don't want my severance benefit to be reduced. Please help clarify if you can.

