This paper examines the relationship between military service status
(active duty, veteran, never served), sex, and six functional limitations/disabilities
using data from the 5% sample of the 2000 U.S. Census. We estimate multivariate
logistic regression models separately for men and women, and evaluate sex differences
by comparing coefficients across models using a Wald chi-square test and
computing predicted probabilities. For both men and women, the highest rates of
functional limitation/disability are observed among veterans, while the lowest rates
are recorded among active duty personnel. The increased odds of functional limitations/disabilities
associated with veteran status is higher among women than men,
whereas the decreased odds of functional limitations/disabilities associated with
active duty status is lower among women than men. The predicted probabilities,
which are based on a subgroup of 40–49 year olds with select sociodemographic
characteristics, indicate that veteran women’s probabilities of many types of
functional limitations/disabilities equal or exceed those of veteran men. Overall, the
findings suggest women experience a more detrimental effect of past military service
and a less beneficial effect of current military service. More life course analysis
with longitudinal data that accounts for factors that influence sex-differentiation
with respect to selection into military service, experiences in the military, and the
short- and long-term consequences of military service is needed to fully understand
sex differences in the relationship between military service and functional limitations/disabilities.