VA To Presume More Illnesses Were Caused By Agent Orange.  The New York Times (10/13, A17, Dao) reports, "Under rules to be proposed this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to add Parkinson's disease, ischemic heart disease and hairy-cell leukemia to the growing list of illnesses presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant used widely in Vietnam. The proposal will make it substantially easier for thousands of veterans to claim that those ailments were the direct result of their service in Vietnam, thereby smoothing the way for them to receive monthly disability checks" and healthcare services from the VA. According to the Times, the "shift underscores efforts" by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, himself a Vietnam veteran, "to reduce obstacles to sick or disabled veterans' receiving benefits."
Impact: Agent Orange exposure
VA Named One Of "'Best Employers For Workers Over 50."  The lead story in Ron Seman's syndicated "Veterans' Beat" column, appearing in the Hudson (OH) Hub Times (10/11), noted, "The health care network operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs has been named as one of the best employers this year for workers over 50" by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Seman went on to say that in a press release, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki commented on the honor, stating that his agency is "proud to be recognized as a top employer for the most experienced employees." Seman added, "Recipients of the AARP 'Best Employers for Workers Over 50' designation are selected for their policies and practices in meeting the needs of an aging workforce."
Impact: VA employment for the “over 50s”

Over $100 Million Distributed To Filipino WWII Vets.  GMANews.TV (10/13, Ubalde) reports, "A total of $102 million had been distributed to some of the 34,000 Filipino World War II veterans who applied for the lump sum benefits package given by the US government, a Philippine official said Tuesday. Defense Undersecretary for Veterans Affairs Ernesto Carolina said some...dying war veterans are already enjoying the pension that was inked early this year. 'Most of them have already been paid. The processing was relatively faster,'" said Carolina, "who concurrently heads the Philippine Veterans' Affairs Office," during an interview with GMANews.TV.
Impact: Filipino Veterans compensation

Study Highlights Importance Of Exercise For Kidney Patients.  HealthDay (10/13) reports, "Many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) die prematurely, but many of those deaths aren't directly related to kidney problems, according to background information" in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, which "found that 28 percent of CKD patients were inactive, compared with 13.5 percent of those without CKD. Active and insufficiently active CKD patients were 56 percent and 42 percent less likely to die during the study than inactive CKD patients." HealthDay adds, "'These data suggest that increased physical activity might have a survival benefit in the CKD population. This is particularly important as most patients with stage III CKD die before they develop end stage renal disease,' wrote Dr. Srinivasan Beddhu, of Salt Lake City Veterans Administration Healthcare System and University of Utah, and colleagues."
Impact: Kidney research