Question about Unemployment Benefits Start Date in NY (deposits, severance)

[corchoran]

On February 1st, my entire department was terminated because of reasons out of our control.

I received 4 weeks severance pay and will receive back pay for the next 2 weeks.

My question is:
Can I apply for unemployment benefits while still receiving the back pay direct deposits or do I have to wait until those payments are exhausted?

I have tried to look for information that would apply to my specific case but have not found anything out there and do not want to commit an error by applying to early.

Thank you in advance.

[daaver]

I don't know, but this kind of thing is not uncommon and if you call the unemployment office they will be able to answer your question. I suspect you won't be eligible until the severance is exhausted, but this is something normally disclosed to the unemployment folks.

[NYChistorygal]

They won't count the severance, but they will count the back pay