Systems and methodologies are described that provide techniques for managing persistent resource assignments in a wireless communication system. An access point can generate a bitmap by mapping access terminals having persistent assignments for traffic channels to a series of bitmap bits that provide keep-alive indications for the access terminals. The bitmap can then be provided as a common keep-alive message in a broadcast or multicast transmission to the access terminals. The keep-alive message can further include CRC bits for error prevention. An access terminal, upon receiving the keep-alive message, can then determine whether a bitmap bit in the keep-alive message corresponding to the access terminal conveys a keep-alive indication for the terminal and utilize its persistently assigned traffic channels accordingly.