thank you all for the insites and advice. i regret that my original post incorrectly stated the number of months between her disability date and the filing date of the application..which was 28 months. i am thankful that our application was approved on the initial submission. but i'd much have preferred to never had to file at all. the fact that they will not retro-pay further back than 12 months just doesnt sit right with me. ok, it's a law.....can it be challenged? has it been challenged? or is it just a hands-down never going to win situation? i'll do some further digging and see what comes up. ( recent unemployment has left me with too much time on my hands ).

fwiw: i am also thankful for the internet and all the sites providing information and assistance to get a person through things that would have taken forever in days gone by.