Vietnam-era military service and DI participation

•We estimate the impact of Vietnam-era military service on applications to and participation in Social Security Disability Insurance (DI).•We use an instrumental-variable strategy based on randomly assigned draft-lottery numbers.•We find veterans were 3 percentage points more likely than non-veterans to have received DI, but no more likely to have applied.

Using an instrumental-variable strategy based on randomly assigned draft-lottery numbers, we find Vietnam-era veterans were 3 percentage points more likely than non-veterans to have received Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) benefits by 2011, but no more likely to have applied.