diff --git a/tests/v1/kv_connector/unit/test_nixl_connector.py b/tests/v1/kv_connector/unit/test_nixl_connector.py
index bb77c4f2b62a..53539397cd11 100644
--- a/tests/v1/kv_connector/unit/test_nixl_connector.py
+++ b/tests/v1/kv_connector/unit/test_nixl_connector.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
     NixlConnectorMetadata,
     NixlConnectorWorker,
     NixlKVConnectorStats,
+    ReqState,
 )
 from vllm.distributed.kv_transfer.kv_transfer_state import (
     ensure_kv_transfer_shutdown,
@@ -1245,7 +1246,8 @@ def test_aborted_request_removed_from_worker_in_batch(dist_init):
     kv_meta = sched_out.kv_connector_metadata
     assert kv_meta is not None
     assert isinstance(kv_meta, NixlConnectorMetadata)
-    assert req.request_id in kv_meta.reqs_in_batch
+    assert req.request_id in kv_meta.reqs_to_send
+    assert kv_meta.reqs_to_send[req.request_id] == ReqState.SCHEDULED
 
     #### Model Runner start ####
     # Bind scheduler-produced metadata and start worker processing.
@@ -1270,7 +1272,8 @@ def test_aborted_request_removed_from_worker_in_batch(dist_init):
     kv_meta2 = sched_out2.kv_connector_metadata
     assert kv_meta2 is not None
     assert isinstance(kv_meta2, NixlConnectorMetadata)
-    assert req.request_id not in kv_meta2.reqs_in_batch
+    assert req.request_id in kv_meta2.reqs_to_send
+    assert kv_meta2.reqs_to_send[req.request_id] == ReqState.ABORTED
 
     # Bind empty/abort metadata and run worker step
     #### Model Runner start ####
diff --git a/vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl_connector.py b/vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl_connector.py
index ae7144cf7847..b60fd46b3d32 100644
--- a/vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl_connector.py
+++ b/vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl_connector.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright contributors to the vLLM project
 import contextlib
 import copy
+import enum
 import logging
 import math
 import os
@@ -113,13 +114,17 @@ class ReqMeta:
     tp_size: int
 
 
+class ReqState(enum.Enum):
+    SCHEDULED = 1
+    FINISHED = 2
+    ABORTED = 3
+
+
 class NixlConnectorMetadata(KVConnectorMetadata):
     def __init__(self):
         self.reqs_to_recv: dict[ReqId, ReqMeta] = {}
         self.reqs_to_save: dict[ReqId, ReqMeta] = {}
-        self.reqs_to_send: dict[ReqId, float] = {}
-        self.reqs_in_batch: set[ReqId] = set()
-        self.reqs_not_processed: set[ReqId] = set()
+        self.reqs_to_send: dict[ReqId, ReqState] = {}
 
     def add_new_req(
         self,
@@ -306,12 +311,8 @@ def __init__(self, vllm_config: VllmConfig, engine_id: str):
         # the scheduler. Used to make metadata passed to Worker.
         self._reqs_need_recv: dict[ReqId, tuple[Request, list[int]]] = {}
         self._reqs_need_save: dict[ReqId, tuple[Request, list[int]]] = {}
-        # Reqs to send and their expiration time
-        self._reqs_need_send: dict[ReqId, float] = {}
-        self._reqs_in_batch: set[ReqId] = set()
-        # Reqs to remove from processed set because they're not to send after
-        # remote prefill or aborted.
-        self._reqs_not_processed: set[ReqId] = set()
+        # Reqs to send state updates
+        self._reqs_need_send: dict[ReqId, ReqState] = {}
 
     def get_num_new_matched_tokens(
         self, request: "Request", num_computed_tokens: int
@@ -364,7 +365,7 @@ def update_state_after_alloc(
             return
 
         if params.get("do_remote_decode"):
-            self._reqs_in_batch.add(request.request_id)
+            self._reqs_need_send[request.request_id] = ReqState.SCHEDULED
         if self.use_host_buffer and params.get("do_remote_decode"):
             # NOTE: when accelerator is not directly supported by Nixl,
             # prefilled blocks need to be saved to host memory before transfer.
@@ -437,14 +438,10 @@ def build_connector_meta(
             )
 
         meta.reqs_to_send = self._reqs_need_send
-        meta.reqs_in_batch = self._reqs_in_batch
-        meta.reqs_not_processed = self._reqs_not_processed
 
         # Clear the list once workers start the transfers
         self._reqs_need_recv.clear()
         self._reqs_need_save.clear()
-        self._reqs_in_batch = set()
-        self._reqs_not_processed = set()
         self._reqs_need_send = {}
 
         return meta
@@ -487,24 +484,15 @@ def request_finished(
         if request.status != RequestStatus.FINISHED_LENGTH_CAPPED:
             # Also include the case of a P/D Prefill request with immediate
             # block free (eg abort). Stop tracking this request.
-            self._reqs_not_processed.add(request.request_id)
+            self._reqs_need_send[request.request_id] = ReqState.ABORTED
             return False, None
 
         # TODO: check whether block_ids actually ever be 0. If not we could
         # remove the conditional below
         delay_free_blocks = len(block_ids) > 0
-
         if delay_free_blocks:
             # Prefill request on remote. It will be read from D upon completion
-            logger.debug(
-                "NIXLConnector request_finished(%s) waiting for %d seconds "
-                "for remote decode to fetch blocks",
-                request.request_id,
-                envs.VLLM_NIXL_ABORT_REQUEST_TIMEOUT,
-            )
-            self._reqs_need_send[request.request_id] = (
-                time.perf_counter() + envs.VLLM_NIXL_ABORT_REQUEST_TIMEOUT
-            )
+            self._reqs_need_send[request.request_id] = ReqState.FINISHED
 
         return delay_free_blocks, dict(
             do_remote_prefill=True,
@@ -1436,7 +1424,7 @@ def get_finished(self) -> tuple[set[str], set[str]]:
                 self.sync_recved_kv_to_device(req_id, meta)
 
         # Handle timeout to avoid stranding blocks on remote.
-        now = time.perf_counter()
+        now = time.monotonic()
         while self._reqs_to_send:
             req_id, expires = next(iter(self._reqs_to_send.items()))
             # Sorted dict, oldest requests are put first so we can exit early.
@@ -1575,19 +1563,23 @@ def start_load_kv(self, metadata: NixlConnectorMetadata):
         # which blocks are read from D. As P can now more easily lag behind D
         # while processing the next batch, we make sure to only set an
         # expiration for requests that have not been read from D yet.
-        for req_id in metadata.reqs_in_batch:
-            self._reqs_to_process.add(req_id)
-
-        # Remove all requests that are not to be processed (eg aborted).
-        for req_id in metadata.reqs_not_processed:
-            self._reqs_to_process.discard(req_id)
-            # We should never get an abort after setting an expiry timer
-            assert req_id not in self._reqs_to_send
-
-        # Add to requests that are waiting to be read and track expiration.
-        for req_id, expiration_time in metadata.reqs_to_send.items():
-            if req_id in self._reqs_to_process:
-                self._reqs_to_send[req_id] = expiration_time
+        for req_id, req_state in metadata.reqs_to_send.items():
+            if req_state == ReqState.SCHEDULED:
+                self._reqs_to_process.add(req_id)
+            elif req_state == ReqState.ABORTED:
+                # Remove all requests that are not to be processed (eg aborted).
+                self._reqs_to_process.discard(req_id)
+                # We should never get an abort after setting an expiry timer
+                assert req_id not in self._reqs_to_send
+            elif req_state == ReqState.FINISHED and req_id in self._reqs_to_process:
+                # Add to requests that are waiting to be read and track expiration.
+                abort_timeout = envs.VLLM_NIXL_ABORT_REQUEST_TIMEOUT
+                logger.debug(
+                    "req %s : waiting %d seconds for remote decode to fetch blocks",
+                    req_id,
+                    envs.VLLM_NIXL_ABORT_REQUEST_TIMEOUT,
+                )
+                self._reqs_to_send[req_id] = time.monotonic() + abort_timeout
 
     def _read_blocks_for_req(self, req_id: str, meta: ReqMeta):
         logger.debug(