You can request a hearing or file a complaint against most decisions you disagree with as long as you meet the deadlines. The laws, and sometimes agency policies, create different deadlines. You need to ask what they are. In most agency appeals, you have a right to get copies of the documents the agency intends to introduce, a list of the witnesses they expect to call, and a statement about the nature of their testimony several days before the hearing. Essentially, all the meetings you have with the agency involve negotiation.
Negotiation is simply the effort of two parties to reach an agreement.
It generally includes discussion, offers or proposals, and give and take. To identify the person you need to begin negotiating with, look for the authority closest to the problem. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the agency's position. Identify the stated reasons and what you believe to be any other unstated reasons for the agency's opposition. Make two separate lists.