diff --git a/crc/api/study.py b/crc/api/study.py
index 9d4a070f..fa6b1e80 100644
--- a/crc/api/study.py
+++ b/crc/api/study.py
@@ -164,11 +164,13 @@ def user_studies():
     cats = spec_service.get_categories()
     StudyService.synch_with_protocol_builder_if_enabled(user, specs)
     studies = StudyService().get_studies_for_user(user, categories=cats)
-    if len(studies) == 0:
-        studies = StudyService().get_studies_for_user(user, categories=cats, include_invalid=True)
-        if len(studies) > 0:
-            message = f"All studies associated with User: {user.uid} failed study validation"
-            raise ApiError(code="study_integrity_error", message=message)
+ 
+    # Disable this check - we don't want to raise this error.
+    # if len(studies) == 0:
+    #     studies = StudyService().get_studies_for_user(user, categories=cats, include_invalid=True)
+    #     if len(studies) > 0:
+    #         message = f"All studies associated with User: {user.uid} failed study validation"
+    #         raise ApiError(code="study_integrity_error", message=message)
 
     results = StudySchema(many=True).dump(studies)
     return results
diff --git a/crc/services/study_service.py b/crc/services/study_service.py
index a5193567..1e33ff57 100755
--- a/crc/services/study_service.py
+++ b/crc/services/study_service.py
@@ -44,7 +44,10 @@ class StudyService(object):
 
     @staticmethod
     def get_pb_min_date():
-        pb_min_date = parser.parse(app.config['PB_MIN_DATE'])
+        try:
+            pb_min_date = parser.parse(app.config['PB_MIN_DATE'])
+        except Exception as e:
+            pb_min_date = datetime(2019, 1, 1)
         return pb_min_date
 
     def get_studies_for_user(self, user, categories, include_invalid=False):
diff --git a/tests/study/test_study_api.py b/tests/study/test_study_api.py
index 5434a536..e91ded73 100644
--- a/tests/study/test_study_api.py
+++ b/tests/study/test_study_api.py
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ def test_get_all_studies(self, mock_studies, mock_details, mock_docs, mock_inves
                     num_open += 1
                 if study['id'] == 65432:
                     # This study has `null` for DATELASTMODIFIED, so we should use the value in DATECREATED
-                    self.assertEqual('2020-02-19T14:24:55.101695+00:00', study['last_updated'])
+                    self.assertEqual('2020-02-19T14:24:55.101695-05:00', study['last_updated'])
                 if study['id'] == 11111:
                     self.assertTrue(False,"Study 11111 is too old to be processed and imported, it should be ignored.")
             db_studies_after = session.query(StudyModel).all()