A320 ACFT LANDED OVERWT DUE TO A MEDICAL EMER. RPTR CAPT'S COMPANY MAINT RELEASED THE ACFT WITHOUT AN OVERWT INSPECTION ACCORDING TO THEIR MANUAL PARAMETERS. FLC LATER DISCOVERED THAT A RECENT CHANGE TO THEIR OPS MANUAL REQUIRES AN INSPECTION REGARDLESS OF OTHER PARAMETERS.

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FOLLOWING AN OVERWT LNDG IN TPA (154300 LBS VERSUS 142198 MAX LNDG WT) DUE TO MEDICAL EMER AIR TURN BACK. MY FO AND I CONTACTED OUR AIRLINE'S MAINT CTL FOR REQUIRED MAINT RESULTING FROM USE OF THE ONBOARD EMER MEDICAL KIT; 1 PAX OXYGEN BOTTLE; AND OVERWT LNDG RESOLUTION. IN ACCORDANCE WITH MAINT CTLR INSTRUCTIONS; WE INVENTORIED THE EMER MEDICAL KIT SINCE THE STATION DID NOT HAVE ANOTHER ONE. WE COMPLIED WITH THE MEL CONCERNING PAX OXYGEN BOTTLES; AND WE FURNISHED LNDG CONDITIONS; INCLUDING WT (154300 LBS); IVSI 83 FPM AT TOUCHDOWN; SIDE LOAD; AND BRAKING (AUTO BRAKE) FOR THE OVERWT LNDG. THE MAINT CTLR RELEASED US FROM TPA BASED ON NO OVERWT LNDG INSPECTION REQUIRED DUE TO PARAMETERS AT TOUCHDOWN BEING WITHIN MEL MAINT MANUAL LIMITS (TOUCHDOWN LESS THAN 360 FPM). WE ACCEPTED THE RELEASE; ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAD DONE AN OVERWT LNDG 9 MONTHS AGO AND OUR FLT OPS MANUAL ALLOWED FOR SUCH A RELEASE AT THAT TIME WHEREIN NO OVERWT LNDG INSPECTION WAS REQUIRED IF THE LNDG WAS WITHIN MAINT MANUAL LIMITS. WE DEPARTED FROM TPA AND I DECIDED TO DOUBLECHK THE FLT OPS MANUAL. SOMETHING I SHOULD HAVE DONE ON THE GND -- ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE OVERWT LNDG INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS WERE REVISED SINCE MY LAST EXPERIENCE. THE WORDING HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED AND NO LONGER REFLECTS USING MAINT MANUAL GUIDELINES TO EXCUSE AN OVERWT LNDG INSPECTION. THE FO AND I HAD INSPECTED THE ACFT OF COURSE ON POSTFLT WALKAROUND AND THERE WERE NO DISCREPANCIES. I FOUND THAT EVERY MAINT CTLR AND MGR I SPOKE WITH AGREED WITH OUR ORIGINAL MAINT RELEASE WHEN SPEAKING WITH THEM ON THE PHONE AFTER ARR IN LAS; OUR DEST. I CALLED THE FLT MGR'S OFFICE FOR FURTHER CLARIFICATION AND ADVICE; AND ASKED LAS MAINT TO PERFORM AN INSPECTION; WHICH THEY CALLED PRECAUTIONARY AND NOT REQUIRED. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS DISCREPANCY BTWN WHAT OUR FLT OPS MANUAL REQUIRES AND WHAT MAINT CTL REQUIRES CONCERNING OVERWT LNDGS. WE SHOULD HAVE AND USE THE SAME INFO CONCERNING THIS AND ANY OTHER MATTERS. WE DEPARTED TPA BELIEVING OUR PROCS WERE SAFE; CORRECT; AND COMPLETE HAVING COMMUNICATED FULLY WITH OUR DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL; ONLY TO FIND THAT THE RULES HAD BEEN CHANGED; BUT ONLY IN OUR FLT OPS MANUALS. FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON; OUR DISPATCHER AND ALL OF MAINT CTL WERE UNAWARE OF OUR FLT OPS MANUAL REQUIREMENT. THE MAINT CTLRS I SPOKE WITH ALSO SEEMED TOTALLY UNAWARE OF THE REGULATORY NATURE OF OUR FLT OPS MANUAL BY MAINTAINING THEIR POS OF NO OVERWT LNDG INSPECTION REQUIRED AFTER READING THE FLT OPS MANUAL. IT WAS ONLY AFTER THE FLT MGR CALLED LAS MAINT AND SUBSEQUENTLY PER MY REQUEST AS WELL THAT THE OVERWT LNDG INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED BECAUSE I WAS NOT LEAVING LAS UNTIL THIS WHOLE MATTER WAS FULLY RESOLVED. WE LEFT TPA AFTER DIVERTING BACK THERE 1 HR AND 50 MINS LATER THAN THE ORIGINAL DEP TIME AND ARRIVED IN LAS 1 HR 30 MINS LATE. TIME WAS DEFINITELY A FACTOR IN THIS MATTER. WE WOULD HAVE CUT OUR DELAY TO 1 HR BY OUR NEXT STOP (PHX) EXCEPT WE TOOK THE TIME TO ASSURE STRICT COMPLIANCE WITH FARS; IE; OPS MANUAL. WE ARRIVED AT PHX 1 HR 50 MINS LATE. AS A CAPT; I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DEPEND ON INFO PROVIDED TO ME BY MY SUPPORT SYS TO DO AN EFFECTIVE JOB. MY TRUST IN THAT SUPPORT SYS HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY DEGRADED. I WISH I HAD TAKEN THE TIME TO VERIFY THE OPS MANUAL PROC BEFORE WE LEFT TPA.