Methods and apparatus are presented for implementing an improved Control-Hold Mode that reduces the load of the reverse link and reduces the battery consumption of remote stations. While a remote station is in the improved Control-Hold Mode, the circuitry that monitors the forward packet data channels and the associated control channels are turned off. Since the forward packet data channels and their associated control channels are not monitored, the operations of the reverse channels can be gated off to predetermined duty cycles, or set on intermittent transmission modes, or shut down completely. Transitions from the Control-Hold Mode to the Active Mode can be initiated by the remote station or by a base station. When a transition is initiated by a remote station, the remote station transmits a signaling message to a serving base station and then starts operating the feedback channels before actually receiving forward link signals.