diff --git a/cardea-data/src/main/java/ca/on/oicr/gsi/cardea/data/Case.java b/cardea-data/src/main/java/ca/on/oicr/gsi/cardea/data/Case.java
index 13ce146..dac663d 100644
--- a/cardea-data/src/main/java/ca/on/oicr/gsi/cardea/data/Case.java
+++ b/cardea-data/src/main/java/ca/on/oicr/gsi/cardea/data/Case.java
@@ -49,16 +49,8 @@ private Case(Builder builder) {
     this.timepoint = builder.timepoint;
     this.receipts = unmodifiableList(builder.receipts);
     this.tests = unmodifiableList(builder.tests);
-    this.requisition = builder.requisition;
-    if (builder.startDate != null) {
-      this.startDate = builder.startDate;
-    } else {
-      this.startDate = builder.receipts.stream()
-          .filter(sample -> sample.getRequisitionId() != null
-              && sample.getRequisitionId().longValue() == builder.requisition.getId())
-          .map(Sample::getCreatedDate)
-          .min(LocalDate::compareTo).orElse(null);
-    }
+    this.requisition = requireNonNull(builder.requisition);
+    this.startDate = requireNonNull(builder.startDate);
     this.latestActivityDate = Stream
         .of(receipts.stream().map(Sample::getLatestActivityDate),
             tests.stream().map(Test::getLatestActivityDate),
diff --git a/cardea-server/src/main/java/ca/on/oicr/gsi/cardea/server/CaseLoader.java b/cardea-server/src/main/java/ca/on/oicr/gsi/cardea/server/CaseLoader.java
index bb795fd..6031645 100644
--- a/cardea-server/src/main/java/ca/on/oicr/gsi/cardea/server/CaseLoader.java
+++ b/cardea-server/src/main/java/ca/on/oicr/gsi/cardea/server/CaseLoader.java
@@ -227,6 +227,7 @@ private List<Case> loadCases(FileReader fileReader, Map<String, Project> project
           .receipts(parseIdsAndGet(json, "receipt_ids", JsonNode::asText, samplesById))
           .tests(parseTests(json, "assay_tests", samplesById))
           .requisition(requisitionsById.get(requisitionId))
+          .startDate(parseDate(json, "start_date"))
           .build();
     });
   }
diff --git a/cardea-server/src/test/resources/testdata/cases.json b/cardea-server/src/test/resources/testdata/cases.json
index 214c03d..37c50a0 100644
--- a/cardea-server/src/test/resources/testdata/cases.json
+++ b/cardea-server/src/test/resources/testdata/cases.json
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@
       }
     ],
     "requisition_id": 512,
-    "stopped": false
+    "stopped": false,
+    "start_date": "2021-07-19"
   }
 ]
diff --git a/changes/change_startDate.md b/changes/change_startDate.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..763aac2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/change_startDate.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Case start date provided by QC-Gate-ETL (based on latest sample receipt) will be used