(a) If there is a likelihood that income benefits will be paid, the commissioner may grant an employee suffering financial hardship advances as provided by this subtitle against the amount of income benefits to which the employee may be entitled. An advance may be ordered before or after the employee attains maximum medical improvement. An insurance carrier shall pay the advance ordered.
(b) An employee must apply to the division for an advance on a form prescribed by the commissioner. The application must describe the hardship that is the grounds for the advance.
(c) An advance under this section may not exceed an amount equal to four times the maximum weekly benefit for temporary income benefits as computed in Section 408.061. The commissioner may not grant more than three advances to a particular employee based on the same injury.
(d) The commissioner may not grant an advance to an employee who is receiving, on the date of the application under Subsection (b), at least 90 percent of the employee's net preinjury wages under Section 408.003 or 408.129.