I strongly recommend that you find yourself an advocate. When dealing with government bureaucracies or quasi-judicial bodies (like appeal boards), you have a legal right to have an advocate present. While it’s helpful to have someone who has some experience either with acting as an advocate or with the bureaucracy involved, it’s not absolutely necessary. What you’ll find is that you’ll get very different treatment when you have an advocate present, even if the advocate says absolutely nothing. Just the presence of someone quietly making notes while you deal with a bureaucrat is usually enough to make sure that you’re treated fairly.
I’ve done advocacy work for 25 years for others, but any time I have to deal with any government bureaucracy, even I always make sure I have an advocate with me. It really does make a huge difference in how you’re treated.