"When I call, it seems as though all of the lines will not allow you to speak to a live person"

Have you had better luck trying to talk to a dead person?

The IRS started the filing system late.  Washington decided tax season was a good time to change tax laws for the prior year, as well as send out another batch of stimulus payments.  Not to mention that the IRS was still busy processing stuff from last year.  Everybody just needs to a have a little more patience this year.