People in HR: what do you do?

Genuine question here.

I'm in a technical role and have needed HR to understand my rights for taking leave to care for my mother after major surgery.

My company has a ticket system - HR replied to the ticket and sent me to the policy which I already read and still had questions about (detailed in the ticket) - they closed the ticket. Reached out directly to my HR partner - no reply.

My husband is in management in a different company and has had similar experiences - he's directed his reports to HR help on various items and they've come back blank. They've left him hanging in serious situations regarding bullying etc.

So, tell me, what do people in HR do if it's just pointing to policies? What keeps you busy? Is it all in recruitment?