diff --git a/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_child.go b/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_child.go
index 7e8ccbd335e9..8c09b1011710 100644
--- a/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_child.go
+++ b/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_child.go
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/serviceconfig"
 )
 
+var timeAfterFunc = time.AfterFunc
+
 type childBalancer struct {
 	name         string
 	parent       *priorityBalancer
@@ -148,7 +150,7 @@ func (cb *childBalancer) startInitTimer() {
 	// to check the stopped boolean.
 	timerW := &timerWrapper{}
 	cb.initTimer = timerW
-	timerW.timer = time.AfterFunc(DefaultPriorityInitTimeout, func() {
+	timerW.timer = timeAfterFunc(DefaultPriorityInitTimeout, func() {
 		cb.parent.mu.Lock()
 		defer cb.parent.mu.Unlock()
 		if timerW.stopped {
diff --git a/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_priority.go b/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_priority.go
index 0be807c134a1..a57df7d142db 100644
--- a/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_priority.go
+++ b/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_priority.go
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ func (b *priorityBalancer) switchToChild(child *childBalancer, priority int) {
 
 // handleChildStateUpdate start/close priorities based on the connectivity
 // state.
-func (b *priorityBalancer) handleChildStateUpdate(childName string, s balancer.State) {
+func (b *priorityBalancer) handleChildStateUpdate(childName string, newState balancer.State) {
 	// Update state in child. The updated picker will be sent to parent later if
 	// necessary.
 	child, ok := b.children[childName]
@@ -183,15 +183,16 @@ func (b *priorityBalancer) handleChildStateUpdate(childName string, s balancer.S
 		return
 	}
 	if !child.started {
-		b.logger.Warningf("Ignoring update from child policy %q which is not in started state: %+v", childName, s)
+		b.logger.Warningf("Ignoring update from child policy %q which is not in started state: %+v", childName, newState)
 		return
 	}
-	child.state = s
+	oldState := child.state
+	child.state = newState
 
 	// We start/stop the init timer of this child based on the new connectivity
 	// state. syncPriority() later will need the init timer (to check if it's
 	// nil or not) to decide which child to switch to.
-	switch s.ConnectivityState {
+	switch newState.ConnectivityState {
 	case connectivity.Ready, connectivity.Idle:
 		child.reportedTF = false
 		child.stopInitTimer()
@@ -199,7 +200,19 @@ func (b *priorityBalancer) handleChildStateUpdate(childName string, s balancer.S
 		child.reportedTF = true
 		child.stopInitTimer()
 	case connectivity.Connecting:
-		if !child.reportedTF {
+		// The init timer is created when the child is created and is reset when
+		// it reports Ready or Idle. Most child policies start off in
+		// Connecting, but ring_hash starts off in Idle and moves to Connecting
+		// when a request comes in. To support such cases, we restart the init
+		// timer when we see Connecting, but only if the child has not reported
+		// TransientFailure more recently than it reported Ready or Idle. See
+		// gRFC A42 for details on why ring_hash is special and what provisions
+		// are required to make it work as a child of the priority LB policy.
+		//
+		// We don't want to restart the timer if the child was already in
+		// Connecting, because we want failover to happen once the timer elapses
+		// even when the child is still in Connecting.
+		if !child.reportedTF && oldState.ConnectivityState != connectivity.Connecting {
 			child.startInitTimer()
 		}
 	default:
diff --git a/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_test.go b/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_test.go
index dbded5317af9..070e95c849f1 100644
--- a/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_test.go
+++ b/internal/xds/balancer/priority/balancer_test.go
@@ -2098,3 +2098,106 @@ func (s) TestPriority_HighPriorityUpdatesWhenLowInUse(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err.Error())
 	}
 }
+
+// Tests that the priority balancer's init timer is not restarted when its child
+// reports a state transition from CONNECTING to CONNECTING.
+func (s) TestPriority_InitTimerNotRestarted_OnConnectingToConnecting(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), defaultTestTimeout)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	initTimerStarted := make(chan struct{}, 1)
+	origTimeAfterFunc := timeAfterFunc
+	timeAfterFunc = func(d time.Duration, f func()) *time.Timer {
+		select {
+		case initTimerStarted <- struct{}{}:
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			t.Errorf("Timeout waiting to send init timer started signal")
+		}
+		return time.AfterFunc(d, f)
+	}
+	defer func() { timeAfterFunc = origTimeAfterFunc }()
+
+	cc := testutils.NewBalancerClientConn(t)
+	bb := balancer.Get(Name)
+	pb := bb.Build(cc, balancer.BuildOptions{})
+	defer pb.Close()
+
+	// One child, with two backends.
+	ccs := balancer.ClientConnState{
+		ResolverState: resolver.State{
+			Endpoints: []resolver.Endpoint{
+				hierarchy.SetInEndpoint(resolver.Endpoint{Addresses: []resolver.Address{{Addr: testBackendAddrStrs[0]}}}, []string{"child-0"}),
+				hierarchy.SetInEndpoint(resolver.Endpoint{Addresses: []resolver.Address{{Addr: testBackendAddrStrs[1]}}}, []string{"child-0"}),
+			},
+		},
+		BalancerConfig: &LBConfig{
+			Children: map[string]*Child{
+				"child-0": {Config: &internalserviceconfig.BalancerConfig{Name: roundrobin.Name}},
+			},
+			Priorities: []string{"child-0"},
+		},
+	}
+	if err := pb.UpdateClientConnState(ccs); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("UpdateClientConnState(%+v) failed: %v", ccs, err)
+	}
+
+	// Wait for child-0 to be started and two subchannels to be created.
+	var sc0, sc1 *testutils.TestSubConn
+	for i := range 2 {
+		var addrs []resolver.Address
+		select {
+		case addrs = <-cc.NewSubConnAddrsCh:
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			t.Fatalf("Timeout waiting for subconn %d to be created", i)
+		}
+		switch got := addrs[0].Addr; got {
+		case testBackendAddrStrs[0]:
+			sc0 = <-cc.NewSubConnCh
+		case testBackendAddrStrs[1]:
+			sc1 = <-cc.NewSubConnCh
+		default:
+			t.Fatalf("Got unexpected new subconn addr: %q, want %q or %q", got, testBackendAddrStrs[0], testBackendAddrStrs[1])
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Move both subchannels to CONNECTING.
+	sc0.UpdateState(balancer.SubConnState{ConnectivityState: connectivity.Connecting})
+	sc1.UpdateState(balancer.SubConnState{ConnectivityState: connectivity.Connecting})
+
+	// Ensure that the init timer is started only once.
+	select {
+	case <-initTimerStarted:
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+		t.Fatalf("Timeout waiting for init timer to start")
+	}
+	sCtx, sCancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, defaultTestShortTimeout)
+	defer sCancel()
+	select {
+	case <-initTimerStarted:
+		t.Fatalf("Init timer started when second subchannel moved to CONNECTING")
+	case <-sCtx.Done():
+	}
+
+	// Simulate the connection succeeding (subchannel becoming Ready), and then
+	// failing (subchannel moving to Idle). RR will immediately start connecting
+	// on the failed subchannel, and will therefore reporting an overall state
+	// of Connecting. This should trigger a restart of the init timer.
+	sc0.UpdateState(balancer.SubConnState{ConnectivityState: connectivity.Ready})
+	sc0.UpdateState(balancer.SubConnState{ConnectivityState: connectivity.Idle})
+	select {
+	case <-initTimerStarted:
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+		t.Fatalf("Timeout waiting for init timer to start")
+	}
+
+	// Move the subchannel to CONNECTING again, and ensure that the init timer
+	// is not restarted.
+	sc0.UpdateState(balancer.SubConnState{ConnectivityState: connectivity.Connecting})
+	sCtx, sCancel = context.WithTimeout(ctx, defaultTestShortTimeout)
+	defer sCancel()
+	select {
+	case <-initTimerStarted:
+		t.Fatalf("Init timer restarted when subchannel moved from Ready to Idle")
+	case <-sCtx.Done():
+	}
+}