A mobile station involved in a call receives a forward link signal from a radio access network (RAN) and transmits a reverse link signal to the RAN. If the mobile station detects a reception failure of the forward link signal, such as the receipt of an errored frame, the mobile station transmits a wait time to the RAN. The wait time specifies how long the reception failure can continue before the mobile station will discontinue transmitting the reverse link signal. In response, the RAN may increase the transmit power level at which the RAN transmits the forward link signal, such that a maximum transmit power level is reached during the wait time. The wait time could be based on a user preference and/or user behavior with respect to abandoning calls.