New legislation in Victoria will allow cyclists to access Transport Accident Commission (TAC) benefits if they are injured in crashes with stationary vehicles at any time.

Cyclists can currently access such benefits if they hit a moving vehicle or an open vehicle door, but can claim for stationary-vehicle collisions only if travelling to or from work.

The reform also extends travel and accommodation allowances for family members to visit hospital and pay income support. Family-related benefits will be extended to grandparents, and dependency benefits will be extended to dependent children completing an apprenticeship.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers says the amendments follow consultation with the Law Institute of Victoria, the Australian Lawyers Alliance and the TAC.

The legislation also relaxes the TAC requirement to reassess a person’s impairment every five years to see if they are entitled to loss-of-earning-capacity benefits.

And administrators can now claim costs of managing funds on behalf of an injured person unable to manage their own finances.

The legislation will be backdated to July 9 2014.