S.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Processing & Distribution Center (Board decision, August 6, 2026)

ECAB final decision dismissing appeal. The Board granted the appellant's request to withdraw the appeal and dismissed it without a compensation merits ruling. Under 20 C.F.R. § 501.6(d), this order becomes final 30 days after issuance. A party may petition the Board for reconsideration within 30 days unless this order specifies another period, under 20 C.F.R. § 501.7(a).

Plain-English summary

A postal worker appealed an April 20, 2026 OWCP decision. Her counsel later asked the Board to withdraw the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the case without deciding whether OWCP was correct.

Decision snapshot

• Authority: 20 C.F.R. §§ 501.3, 501.6(d), 501.7(a).
• Outcome: Appeal dismissed at appellant's request.
• Key point: The withdrawal ended this Board appeal without a merits decision.

Full text (ECAB public release)

United States Department of Labor
Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

________
)
S.P., Appellant
)
) Docket No. 26-0472
and ) Issued: August 6, 2026
)
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE, PROCESSING &
)
DISTRIBUTION CENTER, Detroit, MI,
)
Employer
__________ )

Appearances: Case Submitted on the Record
Shelley K. Coe, Esq., for the appellant1
Office of Solicitor, for the Director

ORDER DISMISSING APPEAL

Before:
ALEC J. KOROMILAS, Chief Judge
JANICE B. ASKIN, Judge
VALERIE D. EVANS-HARRELL, Alternate Judge

On April 26, 2026 appellant filed a timely appeal from an April 20, 2026 nonmerit decision of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP). The Clerk of the Appellate Boards docketed the appeal as No. 26-0472.

By letter dated July 20, 2026, appellant, through subsequently authorized counsel, requested that the appeal be withdrawn.

The Board, having duly considered this matter, concludes that appellant’s request for the withdrawal of the appeal should be granted.2 Accordingly,

1
In all cases in which a representative has been authorized in a matter before the Board, no claim for a fee for legal or other service performed on appeal before the Board is valid unless approved by the Board. 20 C.F.R.
§ 501.9(e). No contract for a stipulated fee or on a contingent fee basis will be approved by the Board. Id. An attorney or representative’s collection of a fee without the Board’s approval may constitute a misdemeanor, subject to fine or imprisonment for up to one year or both. Id.; see also 18 U.S.C. § 292. Demands for payment of fees to a representative, prior to approval by the Board, may be reported to appropriate authorities for investigation. 2 The Board’s decisions and orders are final upon the expiration of 30 days from the date of their issuance.
20 C.F.R. § 501.6(d).
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT appellant’s request for the withdrawal of the appeal is granted. The appeal docketed as No. 26-0472 is dismissed.

Issued: August 6, 2026
Washington, DC

Alec J. Koromilas, Chief Judge
Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

Janice B. Askin, Judge
Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

Valerie D. Evans-Harrell, Alternate Judge Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

2