This paper investigates whether chronic illnesses and injuries have a significant impact on individual performance in the labor market. We use the "Santé et Itinéraires Professionnels" (SIP, "Health and Labor Market Histories") survey, conducted in France in the period 2006-2007. We evaluate the impact of chronic illnesses and accidents using propensity score matching. We find that chronic illness and injuries have negative effects on career outcomes and that women are more likely to claim minimum assistance revenue when such events occur. Moreover, while the initial health shock generally has long-lasting effects, it differs across genders and according to the nature of the health event: the results for men reveal a prevalence of short-run effects following accidents and a prevalence of long-run effects following chronic illnesses. We do not observe similar results for women: both chronic illnesses and accidents have long-run effects.