If your furlough is comming soon, I think it would be better to wait for the furlough. You will get the WIA grant, unemployment, foodstamps, and a possible call back incase you need a job in the future. But the WIA can be a difficult thing to get. If you are married and your wife works, then you will probley brake the income limit for the WIA grant. The possibility for a callback in the future can be nice, you never know whats going to come your way.