As kindly as I can say this... Some years ago, my husband lost his job due to the company going bankrupt. He was unemployed for a long time .. trying to find work anywhere. He would NOT file for unemployment, even though he could have. In those years, to some, there was a stigma to government ‘gifts’. He would not stand in that line for that handout (and yes, it was considered that back then). Did it gain us anything? Not much.. it just was a standard of principle for this one man.
Sounds like your husband spent years paying into the unemployment fund for nothing in return.
Much better to try and get at least some of that money back than to be happy with that kind of lose-lose situation in the name of principle.