I seem to recall reading that they did the conversions and destructions back in the 90s.
They made the request for the indices to be stored in 1980. Judging by the revisions in the laws and rules, it was around 1977 when they switched to electronic storage of BC information. It would make sense to me if they and the comptroller decided what to do with the BC’s and the old paper indices when they were finally done entering the data from the BC’s into the computer database. If that’s the case, then they probably finished that process in 1980.
When I asked Okubo for the instruction manuals for the data entry people who made that conversion she said they no longer had those records because it had been done over 20 years earlier. So it had to have been completed before 1989.
But those records were not supposed to have been destroyed ever - either then or now. They were supposed to be retained permanently, either as originals or as microfilm. The originals and microfilms of the actual certificates still exist, but the HDOH claims that the indices don’t exist.
They did not destroy anything. I am in the process of getting a copy of my own long form from them (born in 69) and if my original records had been destroyed, they would not be able to provide me a means of getting it. Ergo, no records were destroyed.