This paper proposes an additional forward error correction (FEC) layer to compensate for the defectiveness inherent in the conventional FEC layer in the Long Term Evolution specifications. The proposed additional layer is called a graceful degradation (GD)-FEC layer and maintains desirable service quality even under burst data loss conditions of a few seconds. This paper also proposes a non-delayed decoding (NDD)-GD-FEC layer that is inherent in the decoding process. Computer simulations and device-based tests show a better loss recovery performance with a negligible increase in CPU utilization and occupied memory size.