Methods and apparatus are provided for a UE to send channel status reports (CSR) to a network entity. In one novel aspect, the CSR is generated at the MAC layer. In one embodiment, the UE detects one or more triggering event, obtains a value of channel status from the PHY layer, generates the CSR based on the value obtained from the PHY layer and transmits the channel status report to an eNB. In another embodiment, the UE starts a timer and waits for a UL grant to transmit the CSR. If no UL grant is received before the timer expires, the UE triggers either a dedicated SR or a random access SR. In another novel aspect, the channel status report is generated in a NAS message and sent to a NAS entity through the NAS layer. In one embodiment, the tracking-area-update procedure is used for the CSR.