Credit Facilities	12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Credit Facilities [Abstract]
Credit Facilities	8. CREDIT FACILITIES VMS has a credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A. ("BofA"). As amended to date, the credit agreement with BofA provides for a revolving credit facility that enables the Company to borrow and have outstanding at any given time a maximum of $300 million (the "Amended BofA Credit Facility"). A portion of the Amended BofA Credit Facility is collateralized with a pledge of stock of certain of VMS's present and future subsidiaries that are deemed to be material subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2011, VMS had pledged to BofA 65% of the voting shares that it holds in Varian Medical Systems Nederland B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary. Under the Amended BofA Credit Facility, VMS's Japanese subsidiary ("VMS KK") can borrow up to 2.7 billion Japanese Yen as part of the overall credit facility (the "Japanese Line of Credit"). At any time amounts are outstanding under the Japanese Line of Credit, the full borrowing capacity is deemed committed for use in Japan and therefore the maximum amount VMS can otherwise borrow under the Amended BofA Credit Facility will be reduced by $35 million to $265 million. VMS guarantees the payment of the outstanding balance under the Japanese Line of Credit. The Amended BofA Credit Facility may be used for working capital, capital expenditures, permitted VMS share repurchases, permitted acquisitions and other lawful corporate purposes. Borrowings under the Japanese Line of Credit can be used by VMS KK for refinancing certain intercompany debts, working capital, capital expenditures and other lawful corporate purposes. Borrowings under the Amended BofA Credit Facility (outside of the Japanese Line of Credit) accrue interest either (i) based on the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus a margin of 0.75% to 1.25% based on a leverage ratio involving funded indebtedness and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") or (ii) based upon a base rate of either the federal funds rate plus 0.5% or BofA's announced prime rate, whichever is greater, minus a margin of 0.5% to 0% based on a leverage ratio involving funded indebtedness and EBITDA, depending upon the Company's instructions to BofA. The Company may select borrowing periods of one, two, three or six months for advances based on the LIBOR rate. Interest rates on advances based on the base rate are adjustable daily. Under the Amended BofA Credit Facility, the Company pays commitment fees at an annual rate of 0.2% to 0.3% based on a leverage ratio involving funded indebtedness and EBITDA. Borrowings under the Japanese Line of Credit accrue interest at the basic loan rate announced by the Bank of Japan plus a margin of 1.25% to 1.50% based on a leverage ratio involving funded indebtedness and EBITDA. The Amended BofA Credit Facility, as well as the Japanese Line of Credit, will expire on June 30, 2012, if not extended by mutual agreement of VMS and BofA. At September 30, 2011, a total of $181 million was outstanding under the Amended BofA Credit Facility with a weighted average interest rate of 1.05%, none of which was outstanding under the Japanese Line of Credit. At October 1, 2010, $20 million was outstanding under the Amended BofA Credit Facility with a weighted average interest rate of 1.51%, none of which was outstanding under the Japanese Line of Credit. For fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009, the Company paid commitment fees of $332,000, $231,000 and $256,000, respectively. Up to $25 million of the Amended BofA Credit Facility can be used to support letters of credit issued on behalf of the Company, of which none were outstanding as of September 30, 2011 or October 1, 2010. The Amended BofA Credit Facility contains customary affirmative and negative covenants for facilities of this type. The Company has also agreed to maintain certain financial covenants relating to (i) leverage ratios involving funded indebtedness and EBITDA, (ii) liquidity and (iii) consolidated assets. For all fiscal years presented within these consolidated financial statements, the Company was in compliance with all covenants. In March 2011, VMS KK entered into an unsecured overdraft agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation that enables VMS KK to borrow a maximum of 500 million Japanese Yen (the "Japanese Overdraft Facility"). Borrowings under the Japanese Overdraft Facility accrued interest at 0.81% per annum. The Japanese Overdraft Facility expired on June 30, 2011. As of September 30, 2011, there was no outstanding balance under the Japanese Overdraft Facility. Interest paid on amounts outstanding under credit facilities were $0.8 million, $0.3 million and $0.2 million in fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Credit Facilities

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

8. CREDIT FACILITIES

VMS has a credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A. ("BofA"). As amended to date, the credit agreement with BofA provides for a revolving credit facility that enables the Company to borrow and have outstanding at any given time a maximum of $300 million (the "Amended BofA Credit Facility"). A portion of the Amended BofA Credit Facility is collateralized with a pledge of stock of certain of VMS's present and future subsidiaries that are deemed to be material subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2011, VMS had pledged to BofA 65% of the voting shares that it holds in Varian Medical Systems Nederland B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Under the Amended BofA Credit Facility, VMS's Japanese subsidiary ("VMS KK") can borrow up to 2.7 billion Japanese Yen as part of the overall credit facility (the "Japanese Line of Credit"). At any time amounts are outstanding under the Japanese Line of Credit, the full borrowing capacity is deemed committed for use in Japan and therefore the maximum amount VMS can otherwise borrow under the Amended BofA Credit Facility will be reduced by $35 million to $265 million. VMS guarantees the payment of the outstanding balance under the Japanese Line of Credit.

The Amended BofA Credit Facility may be used for working capital, capital expenditures, permitted VMS share repurchases, permitted acquisitions and other lawful corporate purposes. Borrowings under the Japanese Line of Credit can be used by VMS KK for refinancing certain intercompany debts, working capital, capital expenditures and other lawful corporate purposes. Borrowings under the Amended BofA Credit Facility (outside of the Japanese Line of Credit) accrue interest either (i) based on the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus a margin of 0.75% to 1.25% based on a leverage ratio involving funded indebtedness and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") or (ii) based upon a base rate of either the federal funds rate plus 0.5% or BofA's announced prime rate, whichever is greater, minus a margin of 0.5% to 0% based on a leverage ratio involving funded indebtedness and EBITDA, depending upon the Company's instructions to BofA. The Company may select borrowing periods of one, two, three or six months for advances based on the LIBOR rate. Interest rates on advances based on the base rate are adjustable daily. Under the Amended BofA Credit Facility, the Company pays commitment fees at an annual rate of 0.2% to 0.3% based on a leverage ratio involving funded indebtedness and EBITDA. Borrowings under the Japanese Line of Credit accrue interest at the basic loan rate announced by the Bank of Japan plus a margin of 1.25% to 1.50% based on a leverage ratio involving funded indebtedness and EBITDA. The Amended BofA Credit Facility, as well as the Japanese Line of Credit, will expire on June 30, 2012, if not extended by mutual agreement of VMS and BofA.

At September 30, 2011, a total of $181 million was outstanding under the Amended BofA Credit Facility with a weighted average interest rate of 1.05%, none of which was outstanding under the Japanese Line of Credit. At October 1, 2010, $20 million was outstanding under the Amended BofA Credit Facility with a weighted average interest rate of 1.51%, none of which was outstanding under the Japanese Line of Credit. For fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009, the Company paid commitment fees of $332,000, $231,000 and $256,000, respectively. Up to $25 million of the Amended BofA Credit Facility can be used to support letters of credit issued on behalf of the Company, of which none were outstanding as of September 30, 2011 or October 1, 2010.

The Amended BofA Credit Facility contains customary affirmative and negative covenants for facilities of this type. The Company has also agreed to maintain certain financial covenants relating to (i) leverage ratios involving funded indebtedness and EBITDA, (ii) liquidity and (iii) consolidated assets. For all fiscal years presented within these consolidated financial statements, the Company was in compliance with all covenants.

In March 2011, VMS KK entered into an unsecured overdraft agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation that enables VMS KK to borrow a maximum of 500 million Japanese Yen (the "Japanese Overdraft Facility"). Borrowings under the Japanese Overdraft Facility accrued interest at 0.81% per annum. The Japanese Overdraft Facility expired on June 30, 2011. As of September 30, 2011, there was no outstanding balance under the Japanese Overdraft Facility.

Interest paid on amounts outstanding under credit facilities were $0.8 million, $0.3 million and $0.2 million in fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.