diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/ServerManager.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/ServerManager.java
index 06d6c8b7279..e2f0b6b3092 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/ServerManager.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/ServerManager.java
@@ -555,15 +555,17 @@ public class ServerManager {
   }
 
   /*
-   * Expire the passed server.  Add it to list of dead servers and queue a
-   * shutdown processing.
+   * Expire the passed server. Add it to list of dead servers and queue a shutdown processing.
+   * @return True if we expired passed <code>serverName</code> else false if we failed to schedule
+   * an expire (and attendant ServerCrashProcedure -- some clients are dependent on
+   * server crash procedure being queued and need to know if has not been queued).
    */
-  public synchronized void expireServer(final ServerName serverName) {
+  public synchronized boolean expireServer(final ServerName serverName) {
     if (serverName.equals(master.getServerName())) {
       if (!(master.isAborted() || master.isStopped())) {
         master.stop("We lost our znode?");
       }
-      return;
+      return false;
     }
     if (!master.isServerCrashProcessingEnabled()) {
       LOG.info("Master doesn't enable ServerShutdownHandler during initialization, "
@@ -573,13 +575,13 @@ public class ServerManager {
       // the SCP is not enable yet and Meta's RIT may be suspend forever. See HBase-19287
       master.getAssignmentManager().handleMetaRITOnCrashedServer(serverName);
       this.queuedDeadServers.add(serverName);
-      return;
+      return false;
     }
     if (this.deadservers.isDeadServer(serverName)) {
       // TODO: Can this happen?  It shouldn't be online in this case?
       LOG.warn("Expiration of " + serverName +
           " but server shutdown already in progress");
-      return;
+      return false;
     }
     moveFromOnlineToDeadServers(serverName);
 
@@ -591,7 +593,7 @@ public class ServerManager {
       if (this.onlineServers.isEmpty()) {
         master.stop("Cluster shutdown set; onlineServer=0");
       }
-      return;
+      return false;
     }
     LOG.info("Processing expiration of " + serverName + " on " + this.master.getServerName());
     master.getAssignmentManager().submitServerCrash(serverName, true);
@@ -602,6 +604,7 @@ public class ServerManager {
         listener.serverRemoved(serverName);
       }
     }
+    return true;
   }
 
   @VisibleForTesting
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/FailedRemoteDispatchException.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/FailedRemoteDispatchException.java
index b459cfe43b0..7e98675a0b9 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/FailedRemoteDispatchException.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/FailedRemoteDispatchException.java
@@ -21,12 +21,17 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseIOException;
 import org.apache.yetus.audience.InterfaceAudience;
 
 /**
- * Used internally signaling failed queue of a remote procedure
- * operation.
+ * Used internally signaling failed queue of a remote procedure operation.
+ * Usually happens because no such remote server; it is being processed as crashed so it is not
+ * online at time of RPC. Otherwise, something unexpected happened.
  */
 @SuppressWarnings("serial")
 @InterfaceAudience.Private
 public class FailedRemoteDispatchException extends HBaseIOException {
+  public FailedRemoteDispatchException() {
+    super();
+  }
+
   public FailedRemoteDispatchException(String msg) {
     super(msg);
   }
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/RegionTransitionProcedure.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/RegionTransitionProcedure.java
index 6c63cb83be3..d427c58e608 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/RegionTransitionProcedure.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/RegionTransitionProcedure.java
@@ -182,10 +182,8 @@ public abstract class RegionTransitionProcedure
   public void remoteCallFailed(final MasterProcedureEnv env,
       final ServerName serverName, final IOException exception) {
     final RegionStateNode regionNode = getRegionState(env);
-    String msg = exception.getMessage() == null? exception.getClass().getSimpleName():
-      exception.getMessage();
-    LOG.warn("Remote call failed " + this + "; " + regionNode.toShortString() +
-      "; exception=" + msg);
+    LOG.warn("Remote call failed {}; rit={}, exception={}", this, regionNode.getState(),
+        exception.toString());
     if (remoteCallFailed(env, regionNode, exception)) {
       // NOTE: This call to wakeEvent puts this Procedure back on the scheduler.
       // Thereafter, another Worker can be in here so DO NOT MESS WITH STATE beyond
@@ -220,9 +218,14 @@ public abstract class RegionTransitionProcedure
     // backtrack on stuff like the 'suspend' done above -- tricky as the 'wake' requests us -- and
     // ditto up in the caller; it needs to undo state changes. Inside in remoteCallFailed, it does
     // wake to undo the above suspend.
+    //
+    // We fail the addOperationToNode usually because there is no such remote server (it has
+    // crashed and we are currently processing it or something went badly wrong and we have a
+    // bad server).
     if (!env.getRemoteDispatcher().addOperationToNode(targetServer, this)) {
-      remoteCallFailed(env, targetServer,
-          new FailedRemoteDispatchException(this + " to " + targetServer));
+      remoteCallFailed(env, targetServer, targetServer == null?
+          new FailedRemoteDispatchException():
+          new FailedRemoteDispatchException(targetServer.toShortString()));
       return false;
     }
     return true;
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/UnassignProcedure.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/UnassignProcedure.java
index 3454d96487f..fd3d78d475e 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/UnassignProcedure.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/UnassignProcedure.java
@@ -249,17 +249,12 @@ public class UnassignProcedure extends RegionTransitionProcedure {
       final IOException exception) {
     // TODO: Is there on-going rpc to cleanup?
     if (exception instanceof ServerCrashException) {
-      // This exception comes from ServerCrashProcedure after log splitting.
-      // SCP found this region as a RIT. Its call into here says it is ok to let this procedure go
-      // on to a complete close now. This will release lock on this region so subsequent action on
-      // region can succeed; e.g. the assign that follows this unassign when a move (w/o wait on SCP
-      // the assign could run w/o logs being split so data loss).
-      try {
-        reportTransition(env, regionNode, TransitionCode.CLOSED, HConstants.NO_SEQNUM);
-      } catch (UnexpectedStateException e) {
-        // Should never happen.
-        throw new RuntimeException(e);
-      }
+      // This exception comes from ServerCrashProcedure after it is done with log splitting.
+      // SCP found this region as a Region-In-Transition (RIT). Its call into here says it is ok to
+      // let this procedure go on to a complete close now. This will release lock on this region so
+      // subsequent action on region can succeed; e.g. the assign that follows this unassign when
+      // a move (w/o wait on SCP the assign could run w/o logs being split so data loss).
+      reportTransitionCLOSED(env, regionNode);
     } else if (exception instanceof RegionServerAbortedException ||
         exception instanceof RegionServerStoppedException ||
         exception instanceof ServerNotRunningYetException) {
@@ -273,17 +268,33 @@ public class UnassignProcedure extends RegionTransitionProcedure {
         exception);
       setTransitionState(RegionTransitionState.REGION_TRANSITION_FINISH);
     } else {
-      LOG.warn("Expiring server " + this + "; " + regionNode.toShortString() +
-        ", exception=" + exception);
-      env.getMasterServices().getServerManager().expireServer(regionNode.getRegionLocation());
-      // Return false so this procedure stays in suspended state. It will be woken up by a
-      // ServerCrashProcedure when it notices this RIT.
-      // TODO: Add a SCP as a new subprocedure that we now come to depend on.
-      return false;
+      LOG.warn("Expiring server {}; rit={}, exception={}", this, regionNode.getState(),
+          exception.toString());
+      if (env.getMasterServices().getServerManager().expireServer(regionNode.getRegionLocation())) {
+        // Return false so this procedure stays in suspended state. It will be woken up by
+        // ServerCrashProcedure when it notices this RIT and calls this method again but with
+        // a SCPException -- see above.
+        // TODO: Add a SCP as a new subprocedure that we now come to depend on.
+        return false;
+      } else {
+        LOG.warn("Failed expire of {}; presumed CRASHED; moving region to CLOSED state",
+            regionNode.getRegionLocation());
+        reportTransitionCLOSED(env, regionNode);
+      }
     }
     return true;
   }
 
+  private void reportTransitionCLOSED(final MasterProcedureEnv env,
+      final RegionStateNode regionNode) {
+    try {
+      reportTransition(env, regionNode, TransitionCode.CLOSED, HConstants.NO_SEQNUM);
+    } catch (UnexpectedStateException e) {
+      // Should never happen.
+      throw new RuntimeException(e);
+    }
+  }
+
   @Override
   public void toStringClassDetails(StringBuilder sb) {
     super.toStringClassDetails(sb);
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/TestAssignmentManager.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/TestAssignmentManager.java
index 5003d51e432..c5eb9ec5a0f 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/TestAssignmentManager.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/assignment/TestAssignmentManager.java
@@ -722,7 +722,7 @@ public class TestAssignmentManager {
   }
 
   private class HangOnCloseThenRSCrashExecutor extends GoodRsExecutor {
-    public static final int TYPES_OF_FAILURE = 6;
+    public static final int TYPES_OF_FAILURE = 7;
     private int invocations;
 
     @Override
@@ -734,6 +734,14 @@ public class TestAssignmentManager {
       case 2: throw new RegionServerStoppedException("Fake!");
       case 3: throw new ServerNotRunningYetException("Fake!");
       case 4:
+        // We will expire the server that we failed to rpc against.
+        throw new FailedRemoteDispatchException("Fake!");
+      case 5:
+        // Mark this regionserver as already expiring so we go different code route; i.e. we
+        // FAIL to expire the remote server and presume ok to move region to CLOSED. HBASE-20137.
+        TestAssignmentManager.this.master.getServerManager().expireServer(server);
+        throw new FailedRemoteDispatchException("Fake!");
+      case 6:
         LOG.info("Return null response from serverName=" + server + "; means STUCK...TODO timeout");
         executor.schedule(new Runnable() {
           @Override