diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/refdata/VariantContextAdaptors.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/refdata/VariantContextAdaptors.java
index 7d7a9d32c..c7c0468e7 100755
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/refdata/VariantContextAdaptors.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/refdata/VariantContextAdaptors.java
@@ -127,9 +127,9 @@ public class VariantContextAdaptors {
                 Map<String, Object> attributes = new HashMap<String, Object>();
                 attributes.put(VariantContext.ID_KEY, dbsnp.getRsID());
                 if ( DbSNPHelper.isDeletion(dbsnp) ) {
-                    int index = ref.getLocus().getStart() - ref.getWindow().getStart() - 1;
+                    int index = dbsnp.getStart() - ref.getWindow().getStart() - 1;
                     if ( index < 0 )
-                        throw new ReviewedStingException("DbSNP conversion requested using a reference context with no window; we will fail to convert deletions");
+                        return null; // we weren't given enough reference context to create the VariantContext
                     attributes.put(VariantContext.REFERENCE_BASE_FOR_INDEL_KEY, new Byte(ref.getBases()[index]));
                 }
                 Collection<Genotype> genotypes = null;
diff --git a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/contexts/variantcontext/VariantContextIntegrationTest.java b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/contexts/variantcontext/VariantContextIntegrationTest.java
index 5506b2d27..a72cf0713 100755
--- a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/contexts/variantcontext/VariantContextIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/contexts/variantcontext/VariantContextIntegrationTest.java
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ public class VariantContextIntegrationTest extends WalkerTest {
 
     static HashMap<String, String> expectations = new HashMap<String, String>();
     static {
-        expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus", "493bf9bcde93c08c8c46f72c8e98cf2f");
-        expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --takeFirstOnly", "bd9e062b23c2c48fef8c299dc1d294d5");
+        expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus", "e4ee2eaa3114888e918a1c82df7a027a");
+        expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --takeFirstOnly", "5b5635e4877d82e8a27d70dac24bda2f");
         expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --onlyContextsStartinAtCurrentPosition", "ceced3f270b4fe407ee83bc9028becde");
         expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --takeFirstOnly --onlyContextsStartinAtCurrentPosition", "9a9b9e283553c28bf58de1cafa38fe92");
         expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --onlyContextsOfType SNP", "2097e32988d603d3b353b50218c86d3b");
-        expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --onlyContextsOfType INDEL", "91c6a9489256d9ce77c8fedf7221a961");
+        expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --onlyContextsOfType INDEL", "033bd952fca048fe1a4f6422b57ab2ed");
         expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --onlyContextsOfType INDEL --onlyContextsStartinAtCurrentPosition", "5e40980c02797f90821317874426a87a");
         expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --onlyContextsOfType MIXED", "e5a00766f8c1ff9cf92310bafdec3126");
         expectations.put("-L 1:1-10000 --printPerLocus --onlyContextsOfType NO_VARIATION", "39335acdb34c8a2af433dc50d619bcbc");
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ public class VariantContextIntegrationTest extends WalkerTest {
         // this really just tests that we are seeing the same number of objects over all of chr1
         WalkerTestSpec spec = new WalkerTestSpec( root + " -L 1" + " -o %s",
                 1, // just one output file
-                Arrays.asList("d2a3f2fe329a0a64145cfd19fde45b99"));
+                Arrays.asList("529f936aa6c303658b23caf4e527782f"));
          executeTest("testLargeScaleConversion", spec);
     }
 }
diff --git a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/indels/IndelRealignerIntegrationTest.java b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/indels/IndelRealignerIntegrationTest.java
index 0c841d746..2676f7067 100755
--- a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/indels/IndelRealignerIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/indels/IndelRealignerIntegrationTest.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public class IndelRealignerIntegrationTest extends WalkerTest {
         WalkerTestSpec spec2 = new WalkerTestSpec(
                 baseCommand + "--consensusDeterminationModel KNOWNS_ONLY -D " + GATKDataLocation + "dbsnp_129_b36.rod",
                 1,
-                Arrays.asList("78850024ac9ff3ba51b6f097c7041c1d"));
+                Arrays.asList("05a114623c126b0398fbc1703437461e"));
         executeTest("realigner known indels only from dbsnp", spec2);
     }