(ONN) – Only about half of the more than 1 million unemployed Ohioans have received unemployment benefits.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says they’re still playing catch up.

The agency’s Kim Hall hopes to bring on an additional 150 employees soon but says they need 4,000 more to handle all the calls.

“We know that that’s no excuse and we continue to work at it every day,” Hall said.

In the meantime, she says people can help by limiting the number of follow-up calls and looking for answers on the website first, before calling.